iY- 


FRANKLIN  INSTITUTE  LIBRARY 

PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 


How  Paper  Boxes 
are  Made 


A  PRACTICAL  AND  INSTRUCTIVE  BOOK  TELLING 
HOW  THE  BEGINNER  MAY  MANUFACTURE  ALL 
KINDS  OF  PAPER  BOXES,  WITH  SPECIAL 
CHAPTERS  ON  THE  PRINTING  DE- 
PARTMENT FOR   PAPER  BOX 
PL  ANTS,EMBOSS  I NG  .GOLD- 
B  LEAFING,  LABEL  3 
WORK,  ETC. 


WITH  100  ILLUSTRATIONS 


By  ROBERT  F.  SALADE 

Author  of  "Plate  Printing  and  Die 
Stamping,"  "How  to  Make  Cutouts," 
"Newspaper  Men  of  the^  jdc. 


•  ••  •! 


PUBLISHED  BY 


The  Shears  publishing  Company 
lafayette.  indiana 

1920 


Copyright,  1920 
SHEARS  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
LaPayette,  Indiana 


THE  GETTY  CElMffcH 
LIBRARY 


LIST  OF  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 

Introduction.  Great  Growth  of  the  Paper  Box  Indus- 
try. The  Field  for  Attractive  and  High  Quality  Boxes. 
Creating  Orders  by  Submitting  New  Ideas  for  Boxes. 
Plain  "Set-up"  Paper  Boxes — Kinds  of  Materials  Used. 
How  "Set-up"  Boxes  Are  Made.  Kinds  of  Machines  Used, 
etc. 

Page  7 

CHAPTER  II 

Plain  "Set-up"  Boxes  (continued).  Modern  Methods 
of  Working.  Various  Kinds  of  Cover  Paper.  Gold-Edged 
Paper  Boxes.  The  Stokes  &  Smith  Automatic  Wrapping 
Machine.  Extension  Bottom  Boxes.  Properly  Grouping 
the  Machines  to  Save  Time  and  Labor.  Larger  Size  Paper 
Boxes  With  Flanges  and  Mitered  Corners. 

Page  21 

CHAPTER  III 

Plain  Paper  Boxes  With  Flanges.  Effecting  a  Saving 
of  Stock.  How  the  Blanks  Are  Mitered.  Efficiency  in  the 
Production  of  Hand-Made  Paper  Boxes.  Kinds  of  Paste 
and  Glue  Used.  Equipment  Required  for  a  Small  Paper 
Box  Plant.    The  Advantages  of  Specializing. 

Page  37 

CHAPTER  IV 

Druggists'  Pill  and  Powder  Boxes.  Round  Pill  and 
Powder  Boxes.    Round,  Shouldered  Pill  Boxes  With  Pro- 

3 


jecting  Edges.  Plain,  Round,  Shouldered  Magnesia  Boxes. 
How  the  Tubes,  or  ''Barrels,"  for  Round  Boxes  Are  Made. 

Page  51 

CHAPTER  V 

Druggists'  Pill  and  Powder  Boxes  (continued).  Cov- 
ering Paper  for  Round  Boxes.  Cutting  Round  and  Oval 
Pieces  of  Box-Board  for  Tops  and  Bottoms.  Oval  Shoul- 
dered Pill  Boxes  With  Projecting  Edges.  Round  Face 
Powder  Boxes  With  Dome  Tops.  The  Doming  Machine. 
Odd-Shaped  Face  Powder  Boxes.  Plain  Oblong  Powder 
Boxes.  Sliding  Boxes  for  Powders  and  Lozenges.  Oblong 
Shouldered  Powder  Boxes.  Square  Shouldered  Boxes. 
Square  Telescope  Boxes.  Suppository  Boxes  With  Par- 
titions. 

Page  65 

CHAPTER  VI 

Candy  Boxes.  The  Increasing  Demand.  Specializing 
in  Fancy  Candy  Boxes.  How  the  Machines  May  Be  Ar- 
ranged to  Speed  Production.  Plain  Paper  Candy  Boxes. 
Telescope  Candy  Boxes.  Lacing.  Shouldered  Candy  Boxes 
With  Extension  Tops  and  Bottoms.  Trays  for  Candy 
Boxes.  Flat  Candy  Boxes.  Round  Candy  Boxes  With 
Extension  Edges.  Large,  Round  Candy  Boxes  With  Dome 
Tops.    Large,  Odd-Shaped  Candy  Boxes.    Art  Candy  Boxes. 

Page  81 

CHAPTER  VII 

Miscellaneous  Paper  Boxes.  Wedding,  Party  and 
Banquet  Boxes.  Jewelry  Boxes.  Handkerchief,  Garter, 
Suspender,  Necktie  and  Collar-Button  Boxes.  Cut-out 
Inserts.  Cigarette  Boxes.  Stocking  Boxes.  Oyster  and 
Ice  Cream  Boxes.  Oyster  Pails.  Paper  Dishes.  Suit,  Hat 
and  Flower  Boxes.    Graining  Board  for  Boxes.    Round  Hat 


4 


Boxes.  Suit  Cases  and  Traveling  Bags.  Pocket  Cigar 
Cases.  Boxes  for  Hardware,  Glass,  Tools,  Picture  Frames, 
Toys,  etc. 

Page  101 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Folding  Boxes  and  Cartons.  Equipment  Required  for 
a  Small  Cutting  and  Creasing  Plant.  Kinds  of  Stock  Used 
for  Folding  Boxes.  Making  the  "Dummy"  for  a  Folding 
Box.  Kinds  of  Furniture  Used  in  Blanking  Out  the  Steel 
Rule  Dies.  Steel  Cutting  Rules  and  Creasing  Rules. 
Work-Bench  for  the  Folding  Box  Maker.  Steel  Rule  Cut- 
ting and  Bending  Machines. 

Page  117 


CHAPTER  IX 

Folding  Boxes  and  Cartons  (continued).  Making  a 
Cutting  and  Creasing  Die.  Blanking  Out  the  Steel  Die. 
Making  Steel  Dies  for  Cut-Outs.  Cutting  and  Creasing  on 
Platen  Presses.  Making  Ready  a  Steel  Cutting  and  Creas- 
ing Die.  Putting  on  the  Feeding  Guides.  Corking  the 
Steel  Die  Form.  Feeding  the  Sheets  of  Box-Board.  Strip- 
ping. Gluing  Folding  Boxes.  The  Gluing  Machine.  Cut- 
ting and  Creasing  on  Cylinder  Presses.  Making  Ready  a 
Steel  Cutting  Die  for  Advertising  Novelties,  etc. 

Page  137 


CHAPTER  X 

The  Printing  Department  for  a  Box-Making  Plant. 
Equipment  Necessary  for  a  Medium-Size  Printing  Depart- 
ment. Kinds  of  Machines.  The  Type  Equipment.  Hart- 
ford and  John  Thomson  Platen  Printing  Presses.  Cylinder 


5 


Presses.  The  Kidder  Automatic  Printing  Press.  C.  &  P. 
Press  With  Miller  Feeder.  Kinds  of  Work  Done  in  the 
Printing  Department  of  a  Paper  Box  Plant. 

Page  159 


CHAPTER  XI 

The  Printing  Department  (continued).  Time-Saving 
Suggestions.  Printing  in  Gold  Size  and  Bronzing  Box 
Wrappers.  Burnishing.  Printing  in  Gold  Ink.  Gold 
Leafing  for  Box  Wrappers.  Embossing  on  Platen  Presses. 
The  Hartford  Electric  Plate  Heater.  Making  the  Male 
Die  for  Hot  or  Cold  Embossing.  Kinds  of  Composition 
Used  for  Male  Dies.  Making  Ready  for  Embossing.  Spe- 
cial Process  for  Printing  Glazed  Box  Wrappers.  Imitation 
Plate  Printing  and  Steel  Die  Stamping.  Patented  Printing 
Base  for  Cylinder  Presses. 

Page  179 


CHAPTER  XII 

Corrugated  and  Fibre  Products.  The  Great  Field  for 
Corrugated  Boxes  and  Paper  Cans.  The  Making  of  Paper 
Cans.  The  Equipment  Required  for  Making  Paper  Cans. 
How  Corrugated  Paper  Boxes  Are  Made.  Various  Kinds 
of  Machines  Used.  Regular  Slotted  Carton.  Center  Spe- 
cial Slotted  Carton.  Overlap  Slotted  Carton.  Full  Flap 
Slotted  Carton.  Half  Slotted  Carton  With  Separate  Cover. 
Double-Wall  Carton.  Double  Cover  Box.  Telescope  Box. 
Double  Lined  Slide  Box.  Single  Lined  Slide  Box.  Double 
Slide  Box.  One-Piece  Folder.  Two-Piece  Folder.  Cor- 
rugated Paper  Tubes.  Partitions.  Printing  Cartons.  The 
End. 

Page  199 


6 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


CHAPTER  I 


'I THIN  the  last  few  decades  the  paper  box 


Y  Y  manufacturing  industry  of  the  United  States 
has  grown  to  tremendous  proportions,  due  of  course 
to  the  ever-increasing  demand  for  paper  boxes  of 
every  kind  imaginable.  The  manufacturers  have  kept 
in  steady  progress  with  the  times,  and  so  efficient- 
ly have  they  organized  and  managed  the  industry 
that  today  it  ranks  among  the  largest  and  most  im- 
portant in  the  country.  The  business  is  rapidly  de- 
veloping on  every  side.  New  uses  for  paper  boxes  are 
constantly  being  discovered.  In  many  instances,  paper 
boxes,  on  account  of  their  neatness,  lighter  weight  and 
economy,  are  taking  the  places  of  those  made  of  wood 
or  tin. 

Comparatively  few  people  outside  the  industry 
ever  stop  to  consider  the  fact  that  the  paper  box  busi- 
ness has  been  responsible  for  the  success  of  many 
another  business.  Manufacturers  of  the  many  different 
varieties  of  packaged-goods  which  are  sold  over  the 
counters  of  retail  stores,  advertising  experts  and  sales- 
men, know  well  that  attractive,  graceful  paper  boxes 
help  wonderfully  in  selling  the  goods.  But,  the  buying 
public  in  general  gives  little  thought  to  this  truth.  With 


7 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


the  exception  of  advertising  and  first  class  printed  mat- 
ter, handsome  paper  boxes  today  are  one  of  the  great- 
est selhng  forces  in  business. 

It  has  been  only  during  recent  years  that  manu- 
facturers, advertising  men  and  salesmen  have  been  giv- 
ing closer  attention  to  the  selling  power  of  high  grade 
paper  boxes.  In  days  gone  by  the  quality  and  appear- 
ance of  paper  boxes  received  little  consideration.  Some 
years  ago,  a  plain,  commonly-made  box  was  considered 
good  enough  for  the  purpose,  but  not  so  in  these  days. 
In  this  age  the  average  buyer  would  not  be  interested 
in  a  nationally-advertised  product  if  it  were  packed  in 
a  mean-looking  box,  no  matter  how  excellent  the  pro- 
duct may  be.  This  explains  why  we  see  such  a  large 
number  of  display  advertisements  on  bill-boards,  in  the 
street  cars,  and  in  newspapers  and  magazines,  includ- 
ing the  statement,  ''Packed  in  a  Neat  Box.'' 

In  the  present  time,  after  a  large  manufacturing 
concern  has  perfected  all  arrangements  for  making 
perhaps,  a  new  breakfast  food,  a  new  perfume,  toilet 
soap,  candy,  tooth  paste,  or  some  other  desirable  article, 
the  next  step  that  is  taken  to  market  the  product  is  in 
organizing  a  good  sales  force.  Then,  the  manufactur- 
ers consult  with  one  of  the  big  advertising  agencies  for 
the  purpose  of  launching  a  national  advertising  cam- 
paign. Among  the  first  features  of  the  campaign  to  re- 
ceive close  study  by  the  advertising  experts  is  the 
style  and  appearance  of  the  paper  boxes  which  are  to 
contain  the  product  in  question.  Often,  many  differ- 
ent shapes  and  colors  for  the  containers  are  planned 

8 


ATTRACTIVE  BOXES  PROMOTE  SALES 


and  tested  before  the  right  design  and  color  scheme 
are  decided  upon.  The  broad-minded  manufacturer 
will  not  object  to  paying  substantial  prices  for  attrac- 
tive paper  boxes  any  more  than  he  would  object  to  pay- 
ing high  prices  for  advertising  in  newspapers  and 
magazines,  as  the  advertising  men  can  easily  prove  to 
him  the  fact  that  beautiful  paper  boxes  will  help  in 
selling  the  goods. 

QUALITY  IS  ESSENTIAL. 

This  does  not  mean  that  any  manufacturer  could 
succeed  with  the  aid  of  attractive  paper  boxes  in  sell- 
ing anything  that  is  not  of  good  quality.  He  would 
possibly  sell  an  inferior  article,  by  means  of  advertis- 
ing and  appealing  paper  boxes,  for  a  limited  time,  but 
the  public  would  soon  learn  whether  the  article  was 
good  or  not.  But,  the  manufacturer  of  a  high  grade 
product  may  always  depend  on  good  advertising  and 
attractive  paper  boxes  to  help  him  in  making  a  success 
of  his  business,  and  this  is  the  point  that  the  writer 
wants  to  make  clear  to  the  reader.  The  psychology  of 
a  handsome  paper  box  is  something  wonderful.  Wo- 
men, particularly,  delight  in  buying  candy,  perfumes, 
and  many  other  things  packed  in  beautiful  paper  boxes 
and  tied  with  colored  ribbons.  Men,  too,  derive  plea- 
sure through  buying  goods  packed  in  attractive  boxes. 
All  of  us  like  dainty  packages,  whether  we  admit  the 
truth  or  not. 

When  paper  boxes  are  made  and  used  for  the 
purpose  of  carrying  goods  to  retail  dealers,  in  cases 


9 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


where  the  dealers  unpack  the  merchandise  and  sell  it 
in  loose  form  to  the  public,  it  is  not  necessary,  of 
course,  to  have  such  fine  boxes  as  those  which  go  into 
the  possession  of  the  buying  public.  Large  size  shirt 
and  hosiery  boxes,  for  example,  seldom  pass  into  the 
hands  of  customers  of  retail  stores.  Boxes  of  this 
class  should  be  neat,  strong  and  of  good  appearance, 
but  there  is  no  reason  for  having  them  expensively 
finished.  The  larger-size  boxes  which  are  to  be  found 
upon  the  shelves  of  retail  shops  are  usually  covered 
with  glazed  paper,  in  colors  such  as  buff,  red,  light 
blue,  pink,  etc.  Store-keepers  prefer  boxes  covered 
with  glazed,  colored  paper  for  the  reason  that  colors, 
and  the  high  gloss  of  the  paper  help  in  making  their 
sales-room  look  attractive. 

These  are  very  important  facts  that  every  paper 
box  manufacturer  must  keep  in  mind,  and  the  more 
attention  that  is  given  to  the  aesthetic  side  of  paper 
box  making,  the  better  for  the  business  in  general. 
The  field  for  fine  and  fancy  paper  boxes,  as  well  as 
for  plain  boxes,  is  without  limitations.  It  is  a  rich, 
fertile  field,  and  the  manufacturer  with  new  ideas 
and  good  business  management  can  ''plant  and  grow'' 
all  the  orders  for  paper  boxes  that  he  may  care  to 
handle. 

The  box-maker  with  ideas  does  not  have  to  wait 
for  orders  to  come  to  him.  Hundreds  of  manufactur- 
ers in  various  lines  of  business  are  willing  and  ready 
to  consider  suggestions  in  the  way  of  unique  and  hand- 
some paper  boxes  which  may  mean  increased  sales  of 

10 


CREATIVE  SALESMANSHIP  NEEDED 


the  goods  or  articles  that  they  are  marketirg.  The  de- 
mand for  ''dust-proof/'  ''germ-proof,"  ''damp-proof/' 
and  the  trade-marked  folding  paper  boxes  is  without 
end.  Box-makers  who  are  in  a  position  to  offer  new- 
style  containers  of  this  character  will  have  no  reason 
for  complaining  about  "slack  seasons/'  The  fiber  con- 
tainer field  also  offers  unlimited  possibilities  to  the 
manufacturer  of  fiber  products. 

This  is  the  age  of  progress.  Creative  salesman- 
ship is  now  needed  in  every  line  of  business.  The 
box  manufacturer  in  these  days  must  give  more  of  his 
time  and  thought  than  in  the  past  to  the  subject  of 
creative  salesmanship.  He  should  work  hand-in-hand 
with  merchants,  sales  managers  and  advertising  ex- 
perts when  big  selling  campaigns  are  being  planned. 
The  United  States  is  just  entering  the  greatest  period 
of  prosperity  in  the  history  of  the  country,  and  without 
question  the  paper  box  industry  is  to  enjoy  its  proper 
share  of  this  prosperity,  but  the  box-maker  who  fails 
in  keeping  abreast  with  the  times  will  be  in  danger  of 
"falling  by  the  wayside. 

IMPORTANT  QUESTIONS. 

Creative  salesmanship,  standard  cost  systems,  ef- 
ficient plant  management,  and  the  matter  of  procuring 
a  sufficient  supply  of  skilled  labor  are  among  the  most 
important  questions  of  today  which  must  receive  deep 
study  from  the  box  manufacturers  in  general.  With 
these  serious  questions  in  mind,  the  writer  has 
prepared  this  text  book  on  the  subject  of  Paper  Box 

II 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Making  for  the  purpose  of  helping  the  progress  of  the 
industry  in  every  way  possible.  Before  attempting  this 
work,  the  writer  spent  considerable  time  in  several  of 
the  modern  paper  box  factories,  studying  the  mechan- 
ical equipment,  labor-saving  methods,  •  ordinary  work- 
ing operations,  etc.  Several  of  the  larger  plants  where 
paper  box  machinery  is  designed  and  made,  were  also 
visited.  In  this  manner,  valuable  data  for  this  book 
were  secured. 

The  main  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  teach  be- 
ginners, or  apprentices,  the  practical  work  of  paper 
box  making.  We  are  not  so  egotistical  as  to  believe 
that  we  can  make  a  trained  paper  box  maker  with  the 
aid  of  printed  matter,  but  at  least  we  can  try  to  offer 
simple,  practical  information  which  we  hope  will  be 
helpful  to  beginners.  We  shall  try  to  do  our  very 
best  in  making  the  technical  facts  plain  and  imder- 
standable,  and  if  we  succeed  in  giving  the  reader  a 
clear,  general  idea  of  how  paper  boxes  are  made,  we 
will  be  well  satisfied. 

May  we  suggest  to  employers,  superintendents 
and  foremen  in  the  paper  box  industry  to  place  this 
book  in  the  hands  of  apprentices  for  study?  It  may 
even  be  possible  to  present  copies  of  the  book  to  young 
men  and  young  women  who  are  not  working  in  the 
industry,  but  who  may  desire,  after  reading  this 
volume,  to  engage  in  the  interesting  work  of  paper  box 
making.  This  is  merely  a  suggestion,  but  it  may  be  of 
some  value  in  gaining  new  apprentices. 


12 


PLAIN  "SET-UP"  PAPER  BOXES 


This  book  will  include  information  on  Plain 
Paper  Boxes,  Fancy  Paper  Boxes,  Round,  Oval 
and  Odd-shaped  Boxes,  Cutting  and  Creasing  for 
Cartons,  The  Label  Printing  Department,  Fiber  Con- 
tainers, and  on  other  subjects  of  this  character.  It 
would  be  almost  impossible  for  anyone  to  describe  all 
of  the  many  dififerent  kinds  of  plain,  fancy  and  fold- 
ing boxes  that  are  being  made  at  the  present  time,  so 
we  will  merely  describe  the  regular  line  of  paper  boxes 
that  are  considered  as  standard  in  the  trade. 

PLAIN  '"set-up"  paper  boxes. 

The  term  ''set-up,"  applies  to  paper  boxes  which 
are  covered  with  separate  lids.  Folding  boxes  do  not 
come  under  this  term  for  the  reason  that  they  are 
glued  together  at  one  side,  and  remain  in  flat  form 
until  the  time  when  they  are  used  as  containers,  cut  out 
sections  of  the  sheet  then  being  folded  to  serve  as 
''lids."  In  other  words,  a  folding  box  is  complete  in 
one  piece,  while  a  set-up  box  (a  shoe  box,  for  ex- 
ample), is  of  two  parts,  the  box  and  the  lid. 

A  set-up  box  must  be  cut,  creased,  folded,  stayed 
and  covered  before  it  is  complete.  The  lid  also  must 
be  cut,  creased,  folded,  stayed  and  covered. 

Various  kinds  of  boxboard  are  used  for  the  mak- 
ing of  plain  paper  boxes,  but  the  three  principal  kinds 
used  are  called  "Chip-board,"  "News-board"  and 
"Straw-board."  Chip-board  is  made  from  pulp 
formed  of  all  kinds  of  waste  paper.  News-board  is 
made  from  pulp  formed  of  old  newspapers.  Straw- 


13 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


board  is  made  from  straw.  These  three  different 
kinds  of  boxboard  come  from  the  paper  dealers,  or 
from  the  mills,  in  various  sizes  and  thicknesses  to  meet 
all  of  the  requirements  of  the  box  factory. 

Chip-board  is  more  generally  used  for  all  kinds  of 
plain  paper  boxes.  It  is  of  gray  color,  and  it  has  rather 
a  rough  surface.  When  the  boxes  are  to  be  of  good 
quality,  like  a  candy  box  for  instance,  the  chip-board 
is  lined  on  one  side  with  white  news  paper,  or  white 
book  paper.  This  lining  is  done  before  the  boxboard 
is  cut  and  creased  in  shape  for  making  the  boxes. 
Many  of  the  larger  box-makers  do  their  own  lining  on 
a  special  machine  called  the  Parry  Liner,  which  has 
been  designed  especially  for  the  purpose.  Other  box- 
makers  send  the  boxboard  to  outside  concerns  who 
make  a  specialty  of  lining  board  for  the  trade. 

Chip-board,  news-board  or  straw-board,  when 
used  for  the  making  of  ordinary  boxes — shoe  boxes, 
for  example — is  not  lined.  Better-class  boxes,  such  as 
are  used  for  holding  collars  and  cuffs,  silk  shirts, 
handkerchiefs,  neck-wear,  writing  paper,  and  ''white 
goods"  of  many  varieties,  should  be  lined  with  white 
book  paper. 

The  first  step  toward  the  making  of  a  paper  box 
is  in  deciding  on  the  proper  measurements.  The 
specifications  must  indicate  the  length,  width  and  depth 
of  the  box,  as  well  as  the  length,  width  and  depth  of 
the  lid.  The  length  and  width  of  a  lid,  fof  a  plain 
set-up  box,  must  of  course  be  slightly  larger  than  the 
length  and  width  of  the  box.    To  ascertain  the  cor- 


14 


CUTTING  AND  SCORING  BLANKS 


rect  sizes  of  both  the  box  and  its  lid,  the  box-maker 
first  makes  models,  and  after  these  have  been  approved, 
the  regular  work  of  making  quantities  of  the  boxes  is 
commenced.  \ 


Robinson  Double  Rotary  Cutter  and  Creaser. 


The  full-size  sheets  of  boxboard  are  fed  into  a 
scoring  machine  which  cuts  and  creases  the  sheets  to 
the  proper  dimensions.  Several  pieces  of  board,  of  the 
size  required  for  the  boxes,  or  lids,  are  cut  from  the 
sheet  with  one  operation.  The  machine  is  equipped 
with  a  series  of  rotary  knives  and  rotary  scorers,  which 
can  be  moved  and  adjusted  to  the  positions  desired.  The 
rotary  scorers  are  like  dull  knives,  and  are  set  up  a 
little  higher  than  the  cutting  knives ;  thus  they  score 
the  sheet  instead  of  cutting  completely  through  it. 

Single  scoring  machines,  which  score  and  cut  the 
sheets  of  boxboard  in  only  one  direction,  are  used 
in  some  of  the  box-making  plants.    In  other  plants 


15 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


double  scoring  machines,  which  score  and  cut  the 
sheets  in  both  directions,  are  in  service.  The  double 
scoring  machine  is  naturally  a  big  time-saver  on  large 
orders  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  cuts  and  scores, 
both  zmys,  on  the  sheet  without  it  being  necessary  for 
the  operator  to  feed  the  sheets  through  the  machine  a 
second  time. 

The  cut  and  scored  blanks,  when  in  flat  form 
ready  for  cornering  and  folding,  appear  like  this : 


Figure  1.     Showing  blank  for  paper  box,  cut  to  proper  size,  scored, 
but  with  corner-pieces  not  yet  removed. 

The  next  operation  is  in  removing  the  corner 
pieces  from  the  blanks.  This  work  is  performed  with 
the  aid  of  a  cornering  machine.  There  are  single, 
double  and  quadruple  cornering  machines  in  some  of 
the  larger  plants,  but  the  single  and  double  cornering 


i6 


CUTTING  CORNERS  FROM  BLANKS 


machines  seem  to  be  the  most  popular.  The  single 
cornering  machine  removes  only  one  corner  from  the 
blank  with  one  operation ;  the  double  cornering  machine 
cuts  out  two  corners  with  a  single  operation  and  the 
quadruple  machine  removes  all  four  corners  with  one 
operation. 


Power  Double  Cornering  Machine. 


The  cornering  devices  are  equipped  with  cutting- 
knives,  arranged  so  that  they  may  easily  be  adjusted. 
The  guides  may  be  adjusted  so  that  many  different 
sizes  of  corners  may  be  cut  out  of  the  blank  stock.  As 
many  as  twenty  or  more  blanks  may  be  placed  under 
the  knives  at  one  time.    The  double  cornering  machine 


17 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


has  two  sets  of  knives  and  guides  which  are  adjustable 
to  provide  for  the  various  sizes  of  blanks.  In  the  same 
manner  the  knives  and  guides  of  the  quadruple 
machine  are  adjustable  to  provide  for  many  different 
sizes  of  stock  and  also  various  sizes  of  corners. 

When  feeding  the  blanks  into  the  single  cornering 
machine,  it  is  necessary,  of  course,  for  the  operator  to 
feed  the  sheet  four  times  before  all  of  the  corner 
pieces  have  been  removed. 

When  the  four  corner-pieces  have  been  removed 
from  a  sheet  of  stock,  the  blank  has  the  following  ap- 
pearance : 


Figure  2.     Showing  blank  for  paper  box,  cut  to  proper  size,  scored 
for  folding,  and  with  corner-pieces  removed. 

Some  of  the  box-makers  who  make  a  specialty  of 
fine,  small-size  set-up  boxes  for  the  drug  trade,  jewel- 

i8 


STAYING  THE  BOX  CORNERS 


ers,  etc.,  have  machines  which  score  the  blanks,  and 
cut  out  the  corner-pieces  simultaneously.  This  de- 
vice is  for  small  work  only,  and  its  principal  advantage 
is  accuracy.  When  scoring  and  cornering  small-size 
blanks  separately,  it  is  often  difficult  to  have  this  scor- 
ing line  in  perfect  alignment  with  the  corners.  On  this 
special  type  of  scoring  and  cutting  machine  it  is  neces- 
sary for  the  operator  to  feed  one  blank  at  a  time.  Cut- 
ting and  creasing  of  this  kind  can  also  be  done  on  cut- 
ting and  creasing  presses,  with  dies  formed  of  steel 
cutting  and  creasing  rules.  This  process  will  be  ex- 
plained in  another  article. 

After  the  blanks  have  been  cut,  scored  and  the 
four  corner-pieces  removed,  the  blanks  are  then  bent 
upwards  on  all  four  sides  so  as  to  put  them  in  form 
for  the  staying  machine  operation.  Several  of  the 
blanks  can  be  bent  partly  into  shape  with  one  operation. 
The  operator  of  the  staying  machine  then  takes  each 
blank  and  properly  shapes  it  into  the  form  of  a  box 
as  the  stay  paper  is  applied  to  each  corner.  The  stay- 
ing machine  is  equipped  with  a  roll  of  narrow  Kraft 
paper  which  is  gummed  on  one  side.  The  machine  is 
also  equipped  with  a  water-pan  and  a  roller  which 
moistens  the  gummed  paper  as  it  passes  along.  The 
operator  places  one  corner  of  the  box  in  position  on 
the  machine ;  the  head  of  the  machine  descends  and 
affixes  a  strip  of  the  stay  paper  on  the  outside  corner 
of  the  box.  The  operator  then  turns  the  box  in  rapid 
succession  while  the  machine  ''stays"  the  other  three 


19 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


corners  of  the  box.  The  cutting  of  the  stay  paper  to 
the  proper  size  is  an  automatic  operation,  and  the  de- 
vice can  be  adjusted  to  cut  off  any  length  of  stay  paper. 


Power  Corner-Staying-  Machine. 


The  stay  paper  placed  on  the  outside  corners  of  the 
box,  holds  the  box  together. 

In  the  case  of  very  small  boxes  and  lids,  the  stay 
paper  is  attached  by  hand,  although  the  machine  is 
adapted  to  small-size  as  well  as  large-size  boxes. 


20 


CHAPTER  II 


PI.AIN  ''set-up''  boxes  (Continued) 
FTER  the   work  of   staying  the  corners  of  a 


J~YP^^^^^  set-up  paper  box,  and  its  lid,  has  been 
completed,  the  next  operations  are  to  cover  the  sides 
of  the  box,  and  the  sides  of  the  lid,  with  paper  of 
the  desired  weight,  color  and  finish.  The  kinds  of 
paper  which  are  generally  used  for  covering  plain 
paper  boxes  are,  white  glazed,  cheviot,  and  col- 
ored glazed.  This  stock  may  be  bought  from  the 
manufacturers  in  either  the  form  of  large  rolls,  or  in 
the  form  of  flat  sheets.  When  the  ordinary  power 
covering  machine  is  used,  the  paper  is  applied  to  the 
sides  of  the  boxes  from  rolls  of  the  proper  width. 

The  slitting  and  rewinding  machine  is  used  iot 
the  purpose  of  cutting  the  large  rolls  of  paper  into 
rolls  of  various  sizes.  The  cutting  wheels  on  the 
slitting  and  rewinding  machine  can  be  ''spaced  apart" 
to  any  width  required.  They  may  be  set  as  close  to- 
gether as  inch  apart.  Conveniently  located  on  the 
machine  is  a  steel  bar  containing  a  scale^  marked  off 
into  inches  and  fractional  parts  of  inches.  This  scale 
makes  it  an  easy  matter  for  the  operator  to  fix  the 
slitting  wheels  in  the  positions  wanted  for  cutting  the 


21 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


large  roll  of  paper  into  smaller  rolls.  As  the  wide 
sheet  of  paper  unrolls  and  passes  the  slitters,  the  small- 
er strips  of  paper  are  rewound  on  spindles. 

There  are  several  good  slitting  and  rewinding 
machines  on  the  market  which  may  be  operated  by 
hand  or  power,  as  desired. 


Cameron  Cutting-  and  Rewinding-  Machine. 


When  the  sides  of  paper  boxes  are  to  be  covered 
with  the  aid  of  a  covering  machine,  a  roll  of  paper  of 
the  necessary  size  and  kind  is  first  placed  on  the 
machine.  The  width  of  the  roll  of  paper  is  about  an 
inch  wider  than  that  of  the  surface  of  the  box  which 
is  to  be  covered,  for  the  reason  that  about  one-half 
inch  of  the  paper  is  turned  in  and  over  on  the  inside 
of  the  box,  and  about  one-half  inch  of  the  paper  is 


22 


OPERATING  THE  COVERING  MACHINE 


turned  in  over  the  bottom  of  the  box.  One  operator 
attends  to  the  covering  operation,  while  another  per- 
forms the  work  of  "turning-in." 

SOME  OPERATORS  CARElvESS. 

The  standard  covering  machine  is  equipped  with 
a  gkie-pan,  heating  apparatus,  gluing  roller,  glue 
scraper,  a  table,  and  a  cut-off  device.    The  gluing  roll- 


Knowlton  Power  Covering-  Machine. 


er  revolves  in  the  glue  pot,  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
apply  the  glue  to  one  side  of  the  paper  as  the  paper 
passes  over  the  surface  of  the  roller.  The  glue  pan 
may  be  heated  by  steam,  gas  or  electricity.  The  scrap- 
ing device  regulates  the  amount  of  glue  applied  to 
the  paper.  When  the  machine  is  in  action  the  oper- 
ator simply  wraps  the  strip  of  paper  around  the  four 
sides  of  the  box,  allowing  a  ''lap-over"  of  the  paper. 


23 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


at  one  corner  of  the  box,  of  about  one  inch.  Some 
operators  are  careless,  and  they  often  allow  ''lap- 
overs"  of  several  inches  of  paper,  which  of  course 
results  in  considerable  wastage  of  paper  during  the 
course  of  a  day.  The  carefully-trained  operator  will 
try  to  save  as  much  paper  as  possible.  Another  im- 
portant point  which  the  efficient  operator  will  consider 
is  in  having  the  ''lap-over"  occur  at  one  corner  of  the 
box,  and  not  in  the  center  of  one  side  of  the  box. 
When  the  "lap-over"  is  made  at  one  corner  of  the 
box,  the  work  looks  neat  and  finished,  but  when  the 
seam  is  made  on  one  side  of  the  box,  the  work  pres- 
ents a  poor  appearance. 


Long-,  narrow  set-up  paper  box.     Size,   3  10-16  x  4-16  in.     Used  by 
the  medical  profession  for  holding  hypodermic  needles. 

It  is  also  very  important  that  the  work  of  "turn- 
ing-in"  should  be  done  as  neatly  as  possible.  The 
"turner-in"  works  on  a  table  near  the  covering  machine. 
As  the  operator  of  the  covering  machine  finishes  wrap- 
ping a  box,  it  is  passed  to  the  second  operator  who 
turns  in  the  corners  and  edges  of  the  paper.  A  wad 
of  cheese-cloth,  or  a  soft,  clean  cloth  of  any  kind,  is 
useful  in  the  work  of  turning-in,  the  corners  and 
edges  of  the  paper  being  rubbed  down  firmly  and 


24 


MODERN  METHODS  OF  WORKING 


smoothly.  Some  operators  of  covering  machines  also 
use  a  cloth  in  smoothing  the  paper  as  it  is  applied  to 
the  sides  of  the  box.  Others  use  merely  the  palm  of 
the  hand.  Attached  to  the  machine  is  a  receptable  for 
holding  tallow  which  many  workers  make  use  of  for 
keeping  their  hands  free  from  glue.  On  the  new  model 
covering  machines  the  cut-off  device  is  adjustable,  up 
and  down,  by  means  of  screws,  and  it  can  be  moved  to 
and  from  the  box-spindle  in  any  desired  position, 
without  it  being  necessary  for  the  operator  to  leave 
his  or  her  seat.  The  cut-off  device  may  be  operated 
by  hand  by  means  of  a  lever. 

TIME  SAVING  SYSTEM. 

In  a  large  number  of  paper  box  making  plants 
tables  are  placed  near  the  covering  machines,  and  the 
work  of  ''turning-in"  is  done  on  these  tables  Near  the 
covering  machines  are  the  topping  machines.  The 
work  is  handled  in  such  a  manner,  that  one  operator 
passes  the  boxes  on  to  another,  until  finally  the  boxes 
and  the  lids  are  completed  and  assembled.  The  boxes 
are  then  packed  in  cases  ready  for  immediate  ship- 
ment. This  system  is  the  means  of  saving  time,  labor 
and  expense,  as  it  makes  it  unnecessary  for  the  opera- 
tors of  the  various  machines  to  leave  their  seats.  One 
operator  does  the  covering  of  boxes,  the  second  oper- 
ator covers  the  sides  of  the  lids;  the  third  attends 
to  the  work  of  ''turning-in" ;  the  fourth  is  in  charge 
of  the  topping  machine.  Girls  or  boys  then  assemble 
the  boxes  and  lids,  and  pack  them  in  the  cases. 


25 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Many  set-up  paper  boxes,  in  addition  to  being 
covered  with  white  glazed,  cheviot,  or  colored  glazed 
paper,  are  finished  with  gold-paper  edges.  Some  have 
a  gold  edge  at  the  top  of  the  lid,  and  a  gold  edge  at  the 
bottom  of  the  box;  others  have  four  gold  edges;  still 
others  are  covered  with  colored  glazed  paper,  and 
have  four  edges  of  white  glazed  paper.  Paper  boxes 
of  this  variety  may  properly  be  placed  under  the  head- 
ing, ''fancy,"  but  we  want  to  mention  them  here  on 
account  of  the  edging-work  being  done  on  covering 
machines  in  about  the  same  way  as  plain  covering 
work. 

Let  us  take  the  case  of  a  gold-edged  paper  box 
for  example :  The  narrow  roll  of  gold  paper  is  placed 
on  the  covering  machine,  along  with  the  wider  roll  of 
glazed,  or  cheviot  paper.  Both  the  gold  strip  and  the 
other  strip  are  applied  to  the  box,  or  lid,  simultaneous- 
ly, the  gold  strip  being  placed  underneath  the  main 
strip.  The  main  strip  of  paper  is  a  size  that  when 
applied  to  the  box,  or  lid,  (over  the  gold  strip)  it  al- 
lows the  gold  edging  to  show.  Only  the  gold  strip  is 
''turned  in,"  either  over  the  top  or  bottom  of  the  box, 
or  over  the  top  and  edge  of  the  lid.  With  work  of 
this  character  the  operator  must  be  careful  to  have 
the  two  strips  of  paper  run  straight  and  even  as  one 
is  glued  over  the  other. 

The  topping  machine  operates  much  on  the  same 
principle  as  the  covering  machine,  and  it  is  used  for 
applying  paper  to  the  tops  of  box-lids,  after  the  sides 


26 


OPERATING  THE  TOPPING  MACHINE  

of  the  lids  have  been  covered.  The  bettter  class  of 
set-up  boxes  are  covered  on  the  bottom  in  addition  to 
having  the  tops  of  their  lids  covered,  but  ordinary, 
plain  set-up  boxes  are  not  covered  on  the  bottom. 


One  of  the  smallest  set-up  paper  boxes  manufactured.     Size  1  7-10 
X  7-16  in.    Sides  3-16  in.    Used  by  the  medical  profession. 

The  writer  has  before  him  a  set-up  box  which  had 
been  used  for  holding  a  dozen  linen  collars.  The 
board  for  this  box  has  been  lined  with  newspaper, 
making  it  neat  and  clean  on  the  inside.  The  lid  is 
covered  and  topped  with  pale  yellow  glazed  paper. 
The  sides  of  the  box  are  covered  with  glazed  paper 
of  the  same  color  as  the  lid,  but  at  the  top  the  edges 
are  trimmed  with  white  glazed  paper.  The  bottom 
of  the  box  is  covered  with  white  book  paper.  This 
is  that  kind  of  box  which  should  have  the  bottom 
covered,  although  the  bottom  piece  of  paper  is  not 
absolutely  necessary.  Writing  paper  boxes  should 
also  be  covered  on  the  bottom.  The  question  of  cover- 
ing the  bottoms  of  set-up  boxes  should  be  determined 
by  considering  the  general  qualities  of  the  box,  and 
the  purpose  for  which  it  is  to  be  used.    There  is  no 


27 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


reason  for  covering  the  bottoms  of  common  set-up 
boxes. 

One  of  the  best  power  topping  machines  on  the 
market  is  that  made  by  the  Hobbs  Manufacturing 
Company,  of  Worcester,  Mass.  This  machine  has  an 
automatic  cut-off  device,  and  it  is  equipped,  of  course, 
with  a  work  table,  glue  pan,  gluing  roller,  etc.  A  roll 
of  paper,  nearly  the  same  width  of -the  lid,  or  box-bot- 
tom, which  is  to  be  covered,  is  placed  on  the  machine. 
Glue  is  applied  to  one  side  of  the  paper  as  it  is  drawn 
over  the  surface  of  the  gluing  roller.  When  the  strip 
of  paper  has  been  stretched  across  the  top  of  the  lid, 
or  the  bottom  of  the  box,  the  operator  depresses  the 
adjustable  lever  at  one  side  of  the  machine,  and  the 
paper  is  cut  off  to  the  required  size.  On  top  of  the 
work-table  is  a  locating  projection  which  holds  the 
box  in  place.  A  locating  gauge  is  also  provided  so 
that  the  vertical  adjustment  of  the  table  can  easily  be 
made. 

It  is  only  fair  to  state  that  there  are  other  efficient 
topping  machines  in  general  use,  some  being  operated 
by  hand,  others  by  power. 

Many  set-up  paper  boxes,  which  are  made  for 
heavy  usage,  such  as  for  holding  hardware,  tools, 
toys,  glassware,  etc.,  are  wire  stapled  at  the  corners 
instead  of  having  the  corners  strengthened  with  Kraft 
paper,  or  stay  paper.  Some  box  manufacturers  are 
making  all  of  their  set-up  boxes  with  wire-stapled 
corners.    There  are  several  wire  stitching  machines 


28 


STOKES  &  SMITH  WRAPPING  MACHINE 


now  being  made  by  well-known  concerns  which  have 
been  especially  built  for  use  in  the  paper  box  industry, 
and  they  have  proved  very  satisfactory.  The  boxes 
and  their  lids,  after  having  been  fastened  at  the  corn- 
ers with  copper,  or  wire  devices,  are  covered  and  top- 
ped with  paper  in  the  usual  manner.  The  wire  stitch- 
ing machine  is  operated  in  much  the  same  way  as  the 
staying  machine,  each  corner  of  the  box^  and  of  the 
lid,  being  ''stitched"  with  wire  in  rapid  succession.  For 
an  exceptionally  strong  paper  box  which  is  to  have 
rough  usage,  the  wire-staying  will  be  found  more 
practical  than  paper-staying. 

Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  machine  ever  in- 
vented for  use  in  the  paper  box  industry  is  the  Stokes 


7^  ^ 


Figure  3.    Diagram  shows  shape  of  wrapper  used  on  Stokes 
&  Smith  Wrapping  Machine. 

&  Smith  Wrapping  Machine  which  automatically 
places  glued  paper  on  all  kinds  of  paper  boxes.  One 


29 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


of  the  great  advantages  of  this  device  is  that  it  com- 
pletely wraps  the  box,  or  its  lid,  with  a  single  sheet  of 
paper.  In  other  words,  it  ''covers"  and  ''tops"  at  the 
one  operation.  Flat  sheets  of  paper,  cut  out  at  the 
corners  like  the  diagram  shown  on  page  29  are  neces- 
sary when  using  this  machine. 


stokes  and  Smith  Wrapping  Machine. 


For  cutting  the  sheets  of  paper  to  this  special 
shape,  a  Stokes  &  Smith  Double  Cornering  Machine  is 
essential.  The  sheets  are  first  cut  square,  or  oblong, 
to  the  size  desired,  and  the  odd-shaped  corners  are 
cut  out  afterwards.  The  Double  Corner  Cutter  will 
cut  two  corners  from  a  pile  of  the  sheets  simultaneous- 
ly.  In  about  an  hour's  time  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the 


30 


WRAPPING  EXTENSION-BOTTOM  BOXES 


wrappers  can  be  cut  to  provide  for  a  day's  run  of  work 
on  the  Stokes  &  Smith  Wrapping  Machine. 

Extension  bottom  boxes,  or  to  use  the  old  term, 
boxes  with  ''French  edges,"  may  also  be  wrapped* on 
the  Stokes  &  Smith  device,  but  for  this  class  of  work 
wrappers  of  still  another  shape  than  that  shown  by 
Figure  3  are  necessary.  Again,  for  work  of  this  char- 
acter, the  machine  must  be  equipped  with  an  Exten- 
sion Bottom  Covering  Attachment.  The  change  in  the 
shape  of  the  wrappers  is  made  by  equipping  the 
Double  Corner  Cutter  with  the  proper  sub-presses, 
knives,  and  dies. 

Another  advantage  of  the  Stokes  &  Smith  Wrap- 
ping Machine  is  that  it  will  apply  printed  or  litho- 
graphed wrappers  to  the  paper  boxes,  therefore  mak- 
ing it  unnecessary  to  have  printed  labels  pasted  on 
the  boxes  after  they  have  been  covered.  These  facts 
are  not  presented  for  advertising  the  Stokes  &  Smith 
Company.  In  offering  these  facts  we  merely  desire 
to  acquaint  the  reader  with  all  that  is  new  in  the  way 
of  paper  box  machinery,  and  were  we  to  omit  mention 
of  the  Stokes  &  Smith  Wrapping  machine,  we  would 
feel  that  this  series  of  articles  would  not  be  complete. 

HOW  WORK  IS  HANDLED. 

In  plants  where  this  machine  is  in  operation,  the 
work  is  handled  as  follows :  First,  the  sheets  are  cut 
square  or  oblong  to  the  required  size.  Second,  the 
corners  for  regular  paper  boxes,  or  the  corners  for 


31 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


extension  bottom  work,  are  cut  from  the  paper.  Third, 
the  wrappers  are  fed  through  a  gluing  machine,  which 
by  means  of  rollers,  places  a  thin  coating  of  glue  on 
one  side  of  the  paper.  Fourth,  the  sheets,  with  the 
glue-side  up,  are  placed  on  a  revolving  table  which  is 
really  a  part  of  the  wrapping  machine.  Fifth,  from 
the  revolving  table  the  operator  of  the  wrapping 
machine  lifts  up  a  wrapper  with  one  hand,  and  with 
the  other  hand  takes  an  uncovered  box,  placing  it 
bottom  down  on  the  glued  paper,  being  careful  to  see 
that  the  bottom  of  the  box  is  accurately  centered  be- 
tween the  cut  out  corners  of  the  wrapper.  Sixth,  the 
box  and  wrapper  are  then  placed  on  a  form  on  the 
wrapping  machine.  The  action  of  the  machine  there- 
after is  ''almost  human.''  The  box  and  its  wrapper 
pass  down  through  a  series  of  brushes  and  rollers 
which  draw  the  wrapper  closely  to  the  sides  of  the  box, 
neatly  folding  the  paper  at  the  corners  and  ends,  and 
turning  in  the  edges  of  the  wrapper  on  the  inside  of 
the  box.  At  the  end  of  a  complete  revolution  of  the 
machine  the  box  emerges  from  the  machine  in  a  fin- 
ished condition. 

In  some  of  the  larger  paper  box  manufacturing 
plants,  where  Stokes  &  Smith  machines  are  being 
used,  a  great  deal  of  time  is  being  saved  by  grouping 
the  machines,  and  by  working  the  operators  in  teams. 
For  example,  two  wrapping  machines  and  two  gluing 
machines  are  so  arranged  that  the  boxes  and  the  lids 
are  finished,  inspected  and  assembled  with  all  of  the 


32 


GROUPING  THE  MACHINES  PROPERLY 


work  being  done  in  one  small  ''department."  In  not 
a  few  shops  the  boxes  and  lids  are  covered  on  ma- 
chines which  are  located  a  considerable  distance  apart, 
resulting  in  a  waste  of  time  when  the  boxes  and  lids 
are  assembled.  The  accompanying  illustration  will 
give  the  reader  an  idea  of  how  the  machines  may  be 
properly  grouped  so  as  to  eliminate  unnecessary  hand- 
ling : 


Figure  4.    Illustrating  how  time  and  labor  may  be  saved  in  the  plant 
by  grouping  the  machines  properly,  and  by  working 
the  operators  in  teams. 


SHOULD   STUDY    Fl,OOR  PLANS. 

Paper  box  manufacturers  should  devote  time  and 
study  to  floor  plans  of  this  character.  With  the  short- 
er work-day  being  adopted  in  all  parts  of  the  country, 
and  with  skilled  labor  becoming  more  scarce  every 
day,  it  behooves  the  manufacturer  to  work  out  plans 


33 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


by  which  time  and  labor  may  be  saved,  and  which  will 
make  an  increased  amount  of  output  possible.  This  may 
be  accomplished  through  following  plans  that  will  effect 
real  efficiency  in  the  factory.  No  matter  what  kinds 
of  machines  the  manufacturer  may  be  using,  they  may 
be  grouped  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  it  possible  for  the 
various  operators  to  work  closely  together  in  teams. 

Within  the  last  few  months  the  writer  visited  a 
paper  box  making  plant  where  the  staying  machines 
were  located  at  one  end  of  a  spacious  room,  and  where 
the  covering  machines  were  located  at  the  other  end 
of  the  room.  In  about  the  center  of  the  room  the  top- 
ping machines  were  placed.  Think  of  the  great  num- 
ber of  unnecessary  foot-steps  which  are  made  by  the 
workers  in  this  shop  during  the  course  of  a  day !  Con- 
sider the  large  amount  of  time  that  is  being  wasted 
every  day  in  carrying  the  material  from  one  machine 
to  another!  The  reader  can  readily  understand  that 
by  grouping  the  staying  machines^  the  covering  ma- 
chines^ and  the  topping  machines  in  small  ''depart- 
ments," so  to  speak,  the  boxes  and  lids  could  be  fin- 
ished, inspected  and  assembled  simply  by  passing  the 
work  from  one  operator  to  another  as  the  different 
processes  are  completed. 

The  larger  sizes  of  plain  paper  boxes,  such  as 
those  used  for  holding  envelopes,  shoes,  etc.,  are  not 
made  from  the  same  shapes  of  blanks  as  are  used  for 
the  making  of  the  smaller  sizes  of  boxes.  In  the  ma- 
jority of  cases  the  board  used  for  the  larger-size  boxes 


34 


MITERED  CORNERS  AND  FLANGES 


consists  of  three  separate  pieces.  The  main  piece  con- 
tains flanges  with  mitered  corners.  After  the  main 
piece  of  box-board  has  been  cut  to  the  required  size, 
and  after  it  has  been  scored  and  the  corners  mitered, 
the  board  is  folded  or  bent  to  form  the  bottom  and 
two  sides  of  a  box,  having  flanges  at  either  end.  Sep- 
arate side  pieces  are  then  glued  to  these  flanges,  making 
the  box  complete  as  to  form.  The  principal  reason 
why  the  larger-size  boxes  are  made  in  this  fashion  is 
because  it  prevents  wastage  of  box-board. 


35 


CHAPTER  III 


side-se:t  paper  boxes. 

IF  a  single  piece  of  box-board  were  to  be  used  for  the 
making  of  a  large-size  set-up  paper  box,  (a  hat 
box,  for  example)  it  would  necessitate  the  cutting- 
out  of  four  corner  pieces  which  would  be  as  large  in 
size  as  the  two  side  walls  of  the  box,  therefore  the 
reader  can  readily  understand  that  it  would  not  be  eco- 
nomical to  cut  out  corners  of  stock  which  is  to  be  used 
for  the  larger-sized  boxes.  Another  advantage  of  the 
side-set  paper  box  is  in  the  ends  being  stronger  than 
the  ends  of  a  one-piece  box.  While  this  strong  feature 
of  construction  would  not  been  needed  in  a  small-size 
box — a  pound  size  candy  box,  for  instance — it  is  an 
advantage  for  a  larger  size  box  such  as  is  used  for 
holding  500  No.  10  envelopes. 

For  this  kind  of  a  box,  the  chip-board,  news- 
board,  or  straw-board  is  cut  and  scored  to  the  size 
required  on  either  a  single  or  double  scoring  and  cut- 
ting machine.  This  refers  to  the  body-piece  of  the 
box.  The  side  pieces  may  be  cut  to  the  desired  size, 
in  stacks  of  fifty  or  more  sheets  at  a  time,  on  an  ordi- 
nary power  paper  cutter,  or  of  course,  the  side  pieces 
may  be  cut  from  large-size  sheets  of  box-board  on  a 


37 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Fig.  5  Fig.  6 

Fig-.  5.     Showing-  the  construction  of  the  flange  style  of  paper  box. 
Note  the  mitered  corners  of  the  flanges. 
Fig.  6,     Shows  the  end-pieces  glued  to  the  flanges. 


scoring  and  cutting  machine,  or  on  a  rotary  board  cut- 
ter. In  many  of  the  big  paper  box  plants  the  rotary 
board  cutter  is  being  used  for  neck-pieces,  side-pieces 
for  side-set  boxes,  and  for  other  plain  cutting  where  no 
scoring  is  to  be  done  in  connection  with  it.  The  main 
advantage  of  the  rotary  board  cutter  is  in  the  smooth, 
clean  edges  left  on  the  box-board  after  it  has  been  cut 
into  the  various  sizes.  The  smooth,  clean  edges  could 
not  be  procured  on  an  ordinary  paper  cutting  machine, 
but  in  the  case  of  common  paper  boxes,  the  rough 
edges  of  end-pieces  would  not  be  a  serious  matter. 
For  the  better  grade  of  boxes  the  edges  of  the  end- 
pieces  should  be  smooth  and  free  from  small  particles 
of  the  board,  especially  when  the  box  is  to  be  covered, 
as  the  rough  edges  would  show  plainly  from  under  the 
covering. 

Mitering  for  stock  that  is  to  form  the  body-pieces 
for  side-set.  boxes  is  done  on  a  machine  such  as  the 


38 


CUTTING  TWO  MITERS  SIMULTANEOUSLY 


Hobbs  Duplex  Corner  Cutting  and  Mitering  Machine 
which  is  also  used  for  cutting  the  corners  for  one- 
piece  set-up  boxes.  The  Hobbs  machine  is  so  con- 
structed that  two  corners  may  be  cut  from  box-board 
on  one  side,  and  two  miters  cut  from  box-board  on  the 
other  side.  In  other  words,  it  is  a  quadruple  machine 
which  will  permit  two  operators  to  work  upon  it  at 
the  same  time,  the  operator  on  one  side  doing  corner 
cutting,  and  the  operator  on  the  other  side  doing  miter- 
ing. Either  side  of  the  machine  may  be  used  inde- 
pendently of  the  other,  and  all  sizes  of  corners  up  to  3 
inches,  and  all  sizes  of  miters  up  to  i  inch  in  depth,  can 
be  done  by  making  the  necessary  adjustments  of  the 
dies,  sub-presses,  and  gages.  The  two  miters  may  be 
spaced  as  wide  apart  as  22  inches,  and  the  two  corners 
as  wide  as  20  inches. 

Some  of  the  paper  box  manufacturers  are  making 
the  side-set  boxes  by  hand,  but  the  majority  of 
box-makers  are  using  Ending  Machines  for  this  kind 
of  work.  The  hand  method  of  construction  is  very 
simple :  The  operators  are  seated  on  each  side  of  a 
long  table ;  one  operator  ''turns  in"  the  flanges  of  the 
body-pieces,  and  shapes  them  ready  for  receiving  the 
end-pieces ;  another  operator  applies  glue  to  the  end- 
pieces  and  keeps  a  supply  of  the  glued  end-pieces,  ar- 
ranged in  rows,  ready  for  the  next  operator  who  places 
the  body  of  each  box  on  a  form,  and  then  applies  the 
end-pieces.  It  requires  care  for  the  operator  to  place 
the  end-pieces  in  true  register  with  the  bottom  and 


39 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


L.ides  of  the  box.  The  scoring  Hnes  made  for  the 
flanges  are  followed  as  guides  for  putting  on  the  end- 
pieces  squarely.  The  form  is  simply  a  smooth  block 
of  wood,  the  size  of  the  interior  of  the  box  that  is  be- 
ing fashioned.  The  amount  of  work  which  a  force  of 
skilled  hand-workers  can  turn  out  during  the  course  of 
a  day  is  really  surprising. 

HOW^  KI^I^ICIHNCY  IS  ACCOMPUSHED. 

Efficiency  in  the  production  of  hand-made  paper 
boxes,  as  well  as  efficiency  in  the  production  of  ma- 
chine-made boxes,  is  accomplished  by  keeping  the 
workers,  or  the  machines,  abundantly  supplied  with 
material,  and  by  having  boys  or  girls  carry  the  material 
to  and  from  the  tables  or  machines,  instead  of  having 
experienced  operators  attend  to  such  work.  When  a 
force  of  operators  start  work  at  a  table,  or  at  a  group 
of  machines,  there  should  be  a  steady  flow  of  material 
to  keep  them  constantly  employed.  This  is  the  system 
now  being  followed  in  the  leading  box-making  factor- 
ies, and  it  is  a  system  which  should  be  adopted  by  every 
box  manufacturer,  no  matter  how  small  his  shop  may 
be.  Keep  your  skilled  help  plentifully  supplied  with 
material.  Do  not  allow  your  best  operators  to  waste 
time  in  carrying  stock  from  place  to  place  when  boys  or 
girls,  with  the  aid  of  light  trucks,  can  do  this  class  of 
work  just  as  well. 

This  leads  up  to  still  another  important  sugges- 
tion which  we  will  offer  to  the  manufacturers  in  gen- 


40 


THE  AUTOMATIC  ENDING  MACHINE 


eral :  Do  not  keep  your  apprentices  working  for  long 
periods  at  menial  tasks,  such  as  carrying  stock,  sweep- 
ing floors,  running  errands,  etc.  Push  the  apprentices 
ahead  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Train  them  to  become 
first-class  box-makers. 

A  brief  description  of  the  Hobbs  Automatic  End- 
ing Machine  will  doubtless  give  the  reader  an  idea  of 
how  end-pieces  are  attached  to  the  flanges  of  boxes 
mechanically :  This  machine  is  equipped  with  a  form, 
pasters,  a  hopper  and  a  feeder,  all  being  adjustable  to 
provide  for  paper  boxes  of  various  sizes.  The  machine 
is  designed  to  apply  end-pieces  to  the  bottom  and  sides 
of  a  box,  causing  the  ends  to  adhere  to  the  in-turned 
flanges  at  either  end  of  the  box.  The  body  of  the  box 
is  placed  upon  the  form  by  the  operator  with  the 
flanges  lying  flat  upon  the  surface.  The  end-pieces 
are  placed  in,  a  hopper,  and  the  machine  automatically 
feeds  the  undermost  end-piece  forward,  applies  paste 
to  three  edges  as  it  is  being  fed,  registers  the  end 
accurately  with  the  box-body  upon  the  form,  and  then 
presses  the  end-piece  firmly  to  the  flanges.  This  com- 
pletes the  ending  operation. 

VARIOUS  KINDS  OF"  ADHESIVKS. 

Various  kinds  of  paste  and  glue  are  used  for  end- 
ing work.  White  Dextrine  is  recommended  for  this 
purpose  by  many  box-makers.  Stein^  Hall  &  Com- 
pany, of  New  York  City,  make  a  Dry  Ending  Gum,  as 
well  as  Dry  Gums  for  all  classes  of  paper  box  work. 

41 

4 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


The  '^Mikah  Cold  Glues/'  manufactured  by  the  Na- 
tional Glue  and  Gelatine  Works,  of  New  York  City, 
are  also  well  recommended.  There  are  other  good 
glues  and  pastes  on  the  market. 

In  additon  to  the  Hobbs  Automatic  Ending  Ma- 
chines there  are  several  other  ending  machines 
in  general  use  which  are  rendering  first  class 
service.  The  Kingsbury  &  Davis  Double  Ending  and 
Quadruple  Staying  Machine  is  another  ''wonder-work- 
er" which  is  worthy  of  special  mention.  It  is  said  that 
one  of  these  machines  will  do  the  same  amount  of  work 
that  can  be  done  on  five  single  enders  or  stayers. 

Some  of  the  larger-size  paper  boxes  which  are  con- 
structed with  flanges  and  end-pieces,  have  a  strong 
linen  thread  running  around  the  sides  of  the  box,  near 
the  top,  for  the  purpose  of  strengthening  the  corners, 
the  paper  covering  of  the  box  concealing  the  thread. 
Other  paper  boxes  with  flanges  and  end-pieces,  have 
the  corners  stayed  on  the  outside  with  Kraft  paper  in 
the  same  way  as  the  smaller-size  set-up  boxes.  Others 
still  have  the  four  top  edges  and  the  four  corners  of 
the  lid  stayed  with  Kraft  paper,  also  the  four  bottom 
edges  and  the  four  corners  of  the  box  stayed  with  the 
same  material.  This  makes  a  box  and  lid  of  very 
strong  construction,  and  as  a  rule,  a  box  and  lid  of 
this  kind  are  not  covered  with  glazed  paper,  or  in  fact, 
paper  of  any  kind,  the  box-board  being  allowed  to 
show  in  its  natural  color.  Many  of  the  larger-size 
envelope  boxes  are  made  in  this  manner,  the  corners 

42 


MAKING  TWO-PIECE  PAPER  BOXES 


and  edges  stayed,  but  no  covering  paper  applied  to 
either  the  inside  or  the  outside  of  the  box  or  lid. 

Shoe  boxes,  in  nearly  all  instances,  are  stayed  at 
the  corners,  and  afterwards  are  covered  with  white 
glazed  paper  of  an  inexpensive  grade. 

MANY  TWO-PIECK  BOXES. 

Although  the  great  majority  of  paper  boxes  of 
the  larger  sizes  seem  to  be  made  on  the  plan  of  the 
flange  construction  with  separate  end-pieces,  there  are 
also  many  boxes  made  from  tzvo  pieces  of  box-board — 
one  continuous  side-piece,  folded  and  joined  at  one 
corner,  and  a  ''set-in"  bottom-piece.  A  square-shaped 
box  containing  a  "neck",  such  as  is  used  by  manufac- 
turing chemists  for  magnesia,  etc.,  is  often  made  on 
this  pattern.  Writing  paper  boxes,  and  other  boxes 
which  are  high  and  square  in  form,  are  also  made  in 
this  way. 

When  a  paper  box  is  made  on  this  plan — with 
one  continuous  sidepiece  and  a  set-in  bottom-piece — 
there  is  practically  no  wastage  of  box-board,  for  the 
reason  that  no  corner-pieces  are  cut  out  of  the  stock 
as  would  be  the  case  with  a  one-piece  set-up  box.  The 
continuous  side-piece  is  scored  at  three  corners,  and 
is  joined  and  stayed  at  one  corner.  The  body  is  then 
set  on  a  form,  of  the  same  size  as  the  interior  of  the 
box,  and  while  the  body  remains  on  the  form,  the 
bottom-piece  is  set  in.  Strips  of  stay  paper  are  then 
pasted  to  the  four  edges  of  the  bottom-piece,  and  to 


43 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


the  four  bottom  edges  of  the  box,  so  as  to  hold  the 
body  and  bottom-piece  together.  When  an  extra 
strong  box  of  this  design  is  wanted,  gummed  Hnen  tape 
is  used  instead  of  stay  paper  for  holding  the  body  and 
bottom-piece  together.  Sometimes  the  stay  paper,  or 
linen  tape,  is  pasted  on  both  the  inside  and  the  outside 
of  the  box,  along  the  edges  of  the  bottom-piece  and 
body,  for  the  purpose  of  making  an  exceptionally 
strong  box. 

Paper  boxes  of  the  kind  which  have  been  de- 
scribed in  the  last  few  paragraphs  are  usually  covered, 
after  the  staying  material  has  been  applied  to  the  cor- 
ner and  at  the  bottom  of  the  box,  with  cheviot  paper, 
or  with  glazed  paper  in  white  or  color.  A  large-size, 
high  and  square  box  of  this  type  looks  particularly 
handsome  when  covered  with  light  gray  cheviot  paper. 
The  high,  oblong  box  also  makes  a  nice  appearance 
when  covered  with  the  cheviot.  Trimming  of  white 
glazed  paper,  at  the  top  edges  of  the  lid,  and  at  the 
bottom  edges  of  the  box,  forms  a  good  ''color  scheme" 
with  the  cheviot  paper,  and  the  trimming  enhances  the 
general  appearance  of  the  box. 

When  large-size  paper  boxes  are  made  with  either 
flanges  and  side-pieces,  or  with  continuous  side-pieces 
and  set-in  bottoms,  the  lid  is  made  on  the  same  pattern 
as  a  lid  for  a  plain  set-up  box,  that  is  with  cut-out 
corners,  and  with  the  corners  joined  together  with 
staying  material.  In  the  case  of  a  large-size  ''tele- 
scope" box,  however,  the  lid  is  made  in  the  same  way 


.44 


EQUIPMENT  REQUIRED  FOR  SMALL  PLANT 


as  the  box,  the  size  of  the  lid  being  large  enough,  of 
course,  for  the  lid  to  fit  over  the  sides  of  the  box.  A 
''telescope"  box  is  the  kind  generally  used  for  holding 
suits,  coats,  shirt  waists,  men's  underwear,  etc.  Boxes 
of  this  class  are  usually  low  in  depth,  say  about  three 
inches,  and  are  therefore  made  with  cut-out  corners, 
or  with  folding  corners.  Some  telescope  boxes,  in  the 
larger  sizes,  are  made  as  high  as  12  inches,  both  the 
box  and  the  lid  being  formed  of  two  separate  pieces. 
We  shall  endeavor  to  explain  how  folding  suit  boxes 
are  made  in  another  chapter. 

EQUIPMENT  REQUIRED  r'OR  SMALL  PLANT. 

While  holding  an  interview  with  a  manufacturer 
of  paper  box  making  machinery  who  has  furnished 
complete  plants  for  many  box-makers  during  the  last 
two  decades,  the  writer  asked  the  manufacturer  to 
mention  the  equipment  that  would  be  required  for  a 
small  paper  box  factory  just  starting  in  business.  The 
manufacturer  answered  that  it  would  be  difficult  for 
him  to  specify  the  kinds  and  sizes  of  the  machines 
necessary  for  a  small  new  plant,  without  knowing 
exactly  the  class  of  work  which  was  to  be  produced. 
The  manufacturer  explained,  however,  that  for  an 
ordinary  plant  where  a  general  line  of  plain  set-up 
paper  boxes  were  to  be  made,  the  following  equipment 
would  probably  be  sufficient  in  the  beginning  of  the 
venture : 


45 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


One  Single  Scoring  and  Cutting  Machine. 

One  Staying  Machine. 

Two  9-inch  Covering  Machines. 

One  12-inch  Covering  Machine. 

One  16-inch  Covering  Machine. 

One  16-inch  Topping  Machine. 

One  Ending  Machine. 

One  Single  Corner  Cutting  Machine. 

One  Paper  Slitter. 

One  34-inch  Paper  Cutter. 

Supplies  of  box-board,  staying  material,  white  and 
colored  glazed  paper  in  25-inch  rolls,  cheviot 
paper  in  25-inch  rolls,  paste,  glue,  etc. 

The  corner  cutting  machine  may  be  equipped  with 
interchangeable  dies  for  cutting  round  corners,  miters 
for  box-bodies  with  flanges,  and  odd  shapes  of  many 
kinds,  such  as  for  example,  corners  for  wrappers  used 
on  Stokes  &  Smith  machines.  All  of  this  work  may 
be  done  on  the  single  cornering  machine  in  addition  to 
the  plain  corner  cutting  for  set-up  boxes,  but  it  would 
be  necessary  to  order  the  special  dies  as  ''extras,"  as 
they  are  not  furnished  with  the  regular  equipment. 

ECONOMY  IN  POWER  EQUIPMENT. 

The  machines  mentioned  may  be  operated  by 
either  hand  or  foot  power,  or  they  may  be  equipped 
for  power  fixtures.  Power  machines  are  recom- 
mended as  always  being  the  most  economical,  as  the 
amount  of  work  produced  on  power  machines  is  far 


46 


POWER  EQUIPMENT  FOR  ECONOMY 


greater  than  the  amount  of  work  produced  by  hand  or 
foot  power.  In  many  of  the  big  paper  box  making 
factories  practically  all  of  the  machines  are  driven  by 
individual  electric  motors,  which  means  that  there  is 
no  wastage  of  electric  current  when  all  of  the  machines 
are  not  in  motion.  When  individual  motors  are  being 
used  in  a  plant,  no  overhead  shafting  or  belting  is 
necessary.  Overhead  shafting  and  belting  is  often 
responsible  for  dirt,  dust  or  oil  being  thrown  on  ex- 
pensive material.  When  steam  power,  or  a  single  large 
motor,  is  used  in  a  plant,  it  costs  money  for  shafting 
and  belting,  and  it  also  costs  something  to  operate  the 
shafting  and  belting  before  the  power  reaches  the  ma- 
chines. Belts  often  break  and  must  be  repaired  while 
the  machines  are  standing  idle.  All  of  this  expense 
is  eliminated  by  the  individual  motor  system;  it  helps 
in  maintaining  clean  work-rooms,  and  it  saves  the 
manufacturer  a  considerable  sum  of  money  on  account 
of  the  electric  current  being  consumed  only  at  points 
where  the  machines  are  in  operation.  On  occasions 
when  all  of  the  machines  are  not  running,  there  is  a 
certain  reduction  in  the  amount  of  current  used.  This 
is  not  the  case  when  a  single  large  motor  is  in  service. 
It  spends  its  power  in  driving  shafting  and  belting 
even  when  only  one  of  the  machines  is  in  operation. 

With  the  mechanical  equipment  which  has  been 
suggested  for  the  establishment  of  a  small  paper  box- 
making  plant,  and  with  a  force  of  experienced  opera- 
tors, the  manufacturer  would  be  in  a  position  to  pro- 


47 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


duce  all  kinds  of  plain  set-up  paper  boxes  such  as  are 
used  for  confectionery,  shoes,  writing  paper,  collars, 
envelopes,  and  so  forth.  As  the  business  grows  other 
machines  of  greater  capacity  may  be  added  to  thej 
plant.  In  due  course  of  time  the  manufacturer  could, 
have  a  double  scoring  machine,  and  perhaps  an  auto- 
matic  wrapping  machine,  installed,  but  it  would  not  be 
advisable  for  the  box-maker  to  invest  money  in  such 
machines  unless  he  controlled  enough  business  to  keep 
them  constantly  busy.  It  would  be  a  mistake  for  the 
manufacturer  to  buy  an  automatic  wrapping  machine, 
or  other  extraordinary  equipment,  when  he  is  not  sure 
of  having  sufficient  work  to  provide  for  such  equip- 
ment. 

Practically  all  of  the  large  and  successful  box- 
making  concerns  are  specializing  in  some  particular 
line.  For  example,  one  large  company  is  specializing 
on  druggists'  pill  and  powder  boxes.  Another  firm  is 
making  fine  candy  boxes  of  all  kinds.  Still  another 
concern  is  making  nothing  except  folding  boxes.  The 
specialty  line  seems  to  be  ''the  thing"  in  these  days, 
and  one  can  easily  understand  why  it  would  not  pay  a 
manufacturer  in  attempting  to  make  every  variety  of 
paper  boxes  and  folding  boxes.  It  would  be  almost 
impossible  for  him  to  properly  equip  his  plant  with 
the  machinery  which  would  be  necessary  to  handle  all 
classes  of  work.  The  folding  box  business  is  one 
branch  of  the  industry;  the  set-up  box  business  is 
another  branch.    Nevertheless,  there  are  some  cases 


48 


BOX-MAKERS  SHOULD  SPECIALIZE 


where  the  manufacturer  of  set-up  boxes  could  add  a 
cutting  and  creasing  department  to  his  plant  with  ad- 
vantage, and  there  are  also  some  instances  where  the 
maker  of  folding  boxes  could  enter  the  set-up  paper 
box  field.  But,  in  no  case  would  it  pay  the  manufac- 
turer to  make  all  kinds  of  folding  and  set-up  boxes. 
As  a  general  rule  the  box-maker  should  specialize  in 
some  particular  line. 


49 


CHAPTER  IV 


druggists'  pili.  and  powder  boxes. 
NE  of  the  most  important  branches  of  the  paper 


box  industry  is  that  which  is  devoted  to  the 
manufacture  of  druggists'  pill  and  powder  boxes.  Only 
a  comparatively  few  concerns  are  engaged  in  the  pro- 
duction of  these  specialties,  and  at  the  present  time 
these  firms  are  practically  in  control  of  this  class  of 
business,  for  the  reason  that  their  plants  have  been  es- 
pecially equipped  for  the  production  of  this  line.  In 
some  instances  these  manufacturers  have  had  special 
machinery  built  for  the  particular  needs  of  their  fac- 
tories. 

While  it  is  true  that  a  great  many  of  the  small  pill 
and  powder  boxes  are  made  by  hand,  by  skilled  work- 
ers who  have  had  long  experience  on  this  kind  of  work, 
it  is  also  a  fact  that  large  numbers  of  small  pill  and 
powder  boxes  are  being  made  on  machines.  In  one 
large  plant,  of  Philadelphia,  there  are  several  specially- 
built  machines  which  are  being  used  for  the  making 
of  round  pill  boxes  of  various  sizes.  The  owners  of 
this  plant  will  not  allow  strangers  to  see  these  ma- 
chines in  operation ;  in  fact,  only  certain  loyal  em- 
ployes of  the  firm  are  permitted  to  enter  the  depart- 
ment where  these  machines  are  located. 


51 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Another  concern,  who  for  the  last  sixty  years  has 
been  making  a  specialty  of  druggists'  pill  and  powder 
boxes,  will  not  allow  visitors  in  the  mechanical  depart- 
ments of  the  plant  under  any  circumstances.  All 
''secrets"  in  the  processes  of  manufacture  are  carefully 
guarded,  and  only  certain  employes  have  admittance  to 
the  work-rooms  where  round  pill  and  face  powder 
boxes  are  put  together.  The  manufacturers  of  pill  and 
powder  boxes  in  general  seem  to  have  erected  a  ''Chi- 
nese Wall"  around  their  industry,  and  they  should  not 
be  blamed  for  this,  as  in  some  instances  the  manufac- 
turers have  spent  thousands  of  dollars  in  perfecting 
machines  and  processes,  and  these  of  course  are  their 
own  private  property. 

Nevertheless,  the  writer  is  of  the  opinion  that  no 
manufacturer  will  lose  anything  by  allowing  visitors  to 
walk  through  all  departments  of  his  factory.  Person- 
ality in  business  and  quality  of  product  are  things 
which  cannot  be  stolen.  You  cannot  steal  a  man's 
ideas,  or  rather  his  brains.  Consider  the  business 
methods  of  the  Curtis  Publishing  Company,  of  Phila- 
delphia, for  example.  This  company  is  said  to  have 
the  best-equipped  printing  plant  in  the  world.  Doubt- 
less the  reader  knows  about  the  superior  quality  of 
The  Ladies'  Home  Journal,  The  Saturday  Evening 
Post,  and  The  Country  Gentleman — the  three  famous 
magazines  produced  by  the  Curtis  Publishing  Com- 
pany. This  company  invites  the  public  to  go  through 
all  departments  of  its  wonderful  plant.    This  great 


52 


ROUND  PILL  AND  POWDER  BOXES 


$25,000,000  concern  is  not  afraid  of  anybody  stealing 
its  ''secrets." 

''Competition  is  the  life  of  trade." 

ROUND  PII,I,  AND  POWDER  BOXES. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  one  manufacturer  of 
druggists'  pill  and  powder  boxes,  the  writer  was  per- 
mitted to  see  how  this  line  of  work  is  produced,  so  far 
as  the  plant  in  question  is  concerned,  and  the  writer 
will  attempt  to  explain  the  practical  side  of  this  work 
in  'the  following  paragraphs.  The  reader  will  be  par- 
ticularly interested  in  this  subject,  no  doubt,  when  it  is 
mentioned  that  some  of  the  facts  presented  have  never 
before  appeared  in  print,  to  the  writer's  knowledge. 
This  is  a  bold  statement,  but  we  believe  that  it  is  well 
supported. 

Round  and  oval  paper  boxes,  especially  the  smaller 
sizes  such  as  are  used  for  face  powders,  pills,  capsules, 
etc.,  are  made  by  highly-skilled  labor  and  this  class  of 
work  is  considered  to  be  the  most  difficult  in  the  paper 
box  industry.  Round  work  is  far  more  intricate  than 
square-box  work  of  any  kind.  It  requires  years  of 
practical  experience  for  one  to  become  a  first  class 
round  or  oval  box  maker.  Round  work  is  an  art,  and 
many  of  the  fine  pill  and  face  powder  boxes  which  are 
seen  in  drug  stores  are  beautiful  works  of  art.  The 
greater  portion  of  round  and  oval  work  is  done  by 
hand,  although  as  stated,  some  round  pill  boxes  are 
made  on  machines. 


53 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Round  pill  and  powder  boxes  are  made  in  a  con- 
siderable number  of  sizes  and  in  a  great  variety  of 
colors  and  trims.  Round  pill  boxes  are  made  as  small 
as  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  diameter  and  with  a 
depth  as  low  as  eight-sixteenths  of  an  inch.  Then 
there  is  a  full  range  of  sizes  all  the  way  up  to  three 
and  five-sixteenths  inches  in  diameter,  and  even  larger. 

Plain,  round,  shouldered  pill  boxes  are  made  from 
two  round  pieces  of  box-board,  two  ''rings"  of  equal 
size,  made  from  paper,  and  one  larger  "ring"  which 
forms  the  shoulder  or  neck. 


Round  Shouldered  Pill  Box — Covered  with  colored  glazed 
paper,  leaving  four  white  edges. 

Note  that  a  round  box  of  this  type  does  not  have 
projecting  edges  at  the  top  of  the  lid  and  at  the  bottom 
of  the  box.  The  round  top  and  bottom  pieces  set  with- 
in the  rings.  The  ring  is  first  placed  over  a  form  ;  glue 
is  applied  to  the  edge  of  the  round  piece  of  box-board, 
and  this  is  then  set  inside  the  ring.  A  strip  of  thin 
trim  paper — gold,  white  or  colored — is  then  pasted 
around  the  side  of  the  ring,  the  strip  of  trim  paper 
being  wide  enough  to  extend  slightly  over  the  top  of 


54 


ROUND  SHOULDERED  PILL  BOXES 


the  lid,  or  over  the  bottom  of  the  box.  T\his  extension 
of  the  trim  paper  helps  in  holding  the  round  piece  of 
box-board  to  the  edge  of  the  ring  and  produces  a 
smoothly-covered  edge. 

THE  FINISHED  BOX. 

Both  the  lid  and  the  bottom  of  the  box  are  made 
in  the  same  manner  as  described.  After  the  trim- 
paper  has  been  applied  to  the  sides  and  edges  of  the 
rings,  strips  of  white  or  colored  glazed  paper  are  then 
pasted  around  the  sides  of  the  rings  (over  the  trim 
paper),  these  strips  not  being  as  wide  as  the  strips  of 
trim  paper.  The  finished  box  shows  four  edges  of  the 
trim,  one  at  the  top  of  the  lid,  one  at  the  bottom  of  the 
lid,  one  at  the  top  of  the  box  and  one  at  the  bottom. 

The  shoulder  ring,  or  neck,  is  nearly  double  the 
height  of  the  ring  which  forms  either  the  box  or  the 
lid.  Paste  is  applied  to  one  edge  of  the  neck-ring  and 
the  neck-ring  is  then  placed  inside  one  of  the  box-rings, 
the  end  containing  the  paste  adhering  to  the  bottom  of 
the  box.  It  is  well  also  to  put  a  small  portion  of  the 
paste  on  the  side  of  the  shoulder-ring  which  goes  down 
inside  the  box.  The  lid,  of  course,  fits  snugly  over  the 
neck. 

Some  round,  shouldered  boxes  of  this  type  are 
covered  on  the  inside  with  colored  glazed  paper,  others 
have  merely  the  tops  and  bottoms  lined  with  white 
paper.  In  the  latter  case,  the  box-board  used  for  the 
round  top  and  bottom  pieces  is  lined  on  one  side  before 
being  cut  into  circles. 

55 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


The  rings  for  the  lids,  boxes  and  shoulders,  when 
made  of  white  paper,  are  naturally  white  on  the  inside. 
We  will  explain  how  the  tubes  for  the  rings  and  shoul- 
ders are  made  later  on. 


Round,  Shouldered  Projecting  Edge  Pill  Box — Covered  with 
colored  enameled  paper,  leaving-  four  gold  edges. 

BOXES  WITH   PROJECTING  EDGES. 

Round,  shouldered  pill  boxes  with  projecting 
edges  are  made  in  about  the  same  way  as  the  plain, 
round  boxes,  with  the  exception  that  greater  care  must 
be  taken  by  the  operator  in  wrapping  the  trim  paper 
around  the  projecting  edges  of  the  lids  and  boxes. 
Particular  care  must  also  be  taken  in  placing  the  round 
pieces  of  box-board  accurately  in  position  over  the 
edges  of  the  rings. 

For  trimming  the  edges  of  boxes  with  projecting 
edges,  light-weight  paper  having  special  stretching 
qualities  should  be  used.  In  the  trade  this  stock  is 
known  as  ''Round-work  Glazed."  A.  Hartung  &  Com- 
pany, of  506  Race  street,  Philadelphia,  are  in  a  position 
to  furnish  this  paper  on  special  order.    It  can  be  sup- 

56 


ROUND  BOXES  WITH  PROJECTING  EDGES 


plied  in  white,  gold  and  in  various  colors.  It  comes  in 
rolls  24  inches  wide. 

Many  expert  operators  on  round  box  work  are 
capable  of  making  boxes  with  projecting  edges  without 
using  forms  for  placing  the  tops  and  bottoms  of  the 
boxes  accurately  into  position.  Some  operators  make 
use  of  metal  rings  which  are  placed  over  the  box-rings 
after  the  round  pieces  of  box-board  have  been  attached 
to  the  glued  edges  of  the  box-rings.  According  to  the 
size  of  the  boxes  being  made,  the  metal  ring's  outside 
dimensions  are  the  same  as  the  diameter  of  the  round 
pieces  of  box-board.  The  inside  of  the  metal  ring  fits 
closely  around  the  outside  of  the  box-ring.  By  care- 
ful manipulation  with  the  fingers,  the  operator  with 
the  aid  of  the  metal  ring,  obtains  an  even  margin  on 
the  projecting  edge  all  around. 

Other  operators  do  not  use  glue  in  applying  the 
edges  of  the  rings  to  the  round  pieces  of  box-board, 
the  strips  of  trimming  paper  serving  to  hold  the  ma- 
terial together  firmly.  The  strip  of  trimming  paper, 
with  paste  applied  to  one  side  of  it,  is  neatly  wrapped 
around  the  outside  of  a  box-ring  and  around  the  edge 
of  the  round  piece  of  box-board.  One  edge  of  the  trim 
paper  is  then  turned  over  the  edge  of  the  round  piece 
of  box-board,  and  the  other  edge  of  the  trim  paper  is 
then  turned  over  the  edge  of  the  ring.  It  requires  ex- 
perienced fingers  indeed  to  accomplish  this  tedious 
work  without  causing  the  turned  edges  of  the  trimming 
paper  to  wrinkle.     ''Practice  makes  perfect."  The 


57 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


skilled  operator  can  produce  a  surprising  amount  of 
this  class  of  work  during  the  course  of  a  day.  The  fin- 
ished product  shows  the  trimming  paper  smoothly 
wrapped  around  the  boxes  and  lids,  and  where  the 
paper  passes  over  the  projecting  edges  of  the  boxes 
and  lids,  not  the  smallest  wrinkle  in  the  paper  is  to  be 
seen.  The  turned-in  edges  of  the  trimming  paper  are 
even  and  smooth. 

EDGES  IvEET  EXPOSED. 

The  operator  holds  in  proper  position  one  of  the 
box-rings,  and  one  of  the  round  pieces  of  box-board, 
as  the  trimming  paper  is  applied.  After  the  trimming 
paper  has  been  put  on,  strips  of  glazed  paper,  of  the 
color  desired,  are  pasted  to  the  sides  of  the  boxes  and 
lids,  leaving  the  edges  of  the  trimming  paper  exposed. 

Round,  shouldered  pill  boxes  with  projecting 
edges  are  made  in  many  different  sizes,  some  as  small 
as  one  and  one-sixteenth  inches  in  diameter,  and  with 
a  depth  as  low  as  one-half  of  an  inch.  These  boxes 
are  trimmed  and  covered  with  papers  of  various  col- 
ors, and  beautiful  eft'ects  are  obtained  when  correct 
color  schemes  are  chosen.  White  or  gold  trimming 
paper  harmonizes  well  with  all  other  colors  of  paper. 
A  box  covered  with  white  trimming  paper  and  bronze 
enameled  paper,  leaving  four  white  edges,  forms  a 
pleasing  color  combination.  Bronze  and  gold,  light 
blue  and  white,  red  and  gold,  light  blue  and  gold,  are 
only  a  few  of  the  many  good  color  schemes  which  are 
being  used. 

58 


MANY  ROUND  BOXES  FINELY  COVERED 


Some  of  the  fine,  round,  shouldered  pill  boxes 
with  projecting  edges  are  lined  inside  with  silver,  gold, 
colored  or  tin  foil  paper.  Some  of  these  boxes  are 
covered  entirely  with  gold  paper,  others  are  covered 
entirely  with  white  or  colored  paper.  Others  again  are 
covered  with  fancy  embossed,  or  watered  paper,  after 
gold  or  silver  trimming  paper  has  been  applied. 

The  tops  of  the  lids  for  these  boxes  are  not  cov- 
ered by  the  box-maker  as  a  general  rule.  Druggists 
who  buy  these  boxes  paste  their  own  printed  round 
labels  to  the  lids  of  the  boxes  as  physicians'  prescrip- 
tions for  pills,  capsules,  etc.,  are  filled. 

One  can  form  some  idea  of  the  large  number  of 
round  pill  boxes  which  are  being  consumed  in  this 
country  when  considering  the  number  of  drug  stores 
that  are  located  in  all  sections  of  the  United  States. 
The  demand  for  high  grade  round  pill  boxes  is  con- 
stantly increasing.  At  the  present  time,  the  supply  of 
fine,  hand-made  pill  and  powder  boxes  is  not  equal  to 
the  demand,  as  only  a  few  manufacturers  are  special- 
izing in  this  class  of  product. 

SHOULDERED  MAGNESIA  BOXES. 

Among  the  other  kinds  of  small  paper  boxes  which 
are  used  extensively  by  pharmacists  are  plain,  round, 
shouldered  magnesia  boxes,  as  they  are  termed  in  the 
trade.  Round  boxes  of  this  variety  are  higher  in  form 
than  the  pill  boxes  which  have  been  described,  and  they 
are  used  for  holding  other  powders  in  addition  to 


59 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


magnesia.  (Insect  powder,  for  example).  Some  boxes 
of  this  model  have  a  depth  of  three  inches,  while  the 
diameter  of  the  lid  is  one  and  fifteen-sixteenths  inches. 


Round  Shouldered  Magnesia  Box — Covered  with 
colored  glazed  paper. 

Round,  shouldered  boxes  of  this  class  are  made 
in  about  the  same  way  as  plain,  round  pill  boxes,  the 
round  pieces  of  box-board  being  glued  to  the  inside 
edges  of  the  rings.  In  some  instances,  the  sizes  of  the 
rings  for  the  lid  and  box  are  both  the  same.  In  other 
cases  the  depth  of  the  ring  for  the  box  is  considerably 
larger  than  the  depth  of  the  ring  used  for  the  lid. 

The  shoulder,  or  neck,  for  this  kind  of  box  con- 
sists of  a  tube  which  is  almost  the  same  height  as  the 


60 


ROUND  SHOULDERED  MAGNESIA  BOXES 


interior  of  the  box.  One  edge  of  this  tube  is  glued  to 
the  bottom  of  the  box.  Some  glue  is  also  applied  to 
the  side  of  the  tube,  so  that  it  will  hold  firmly  to  the 
inside  of  the  box.  On  account  of  the  neck  on  this 
style  of  box  being  higher  than  the  neck  on  a  pill  box, 
some  slight  difficulty  would  be  experienced  in  placing 
the  lid  of  the  box  over  the  neck.  To  overcome  this, 
a  slit,  running  slightly  on  an  angle,  is  cut  into  the  neck 
with  a  sharp  knife.  This  slit  causes  a  lap-over  of  the 
neck,  at  the  edge,  making  it  an  easy  matter  to  slide  the 
lid  on. 

PURPOSE  OF  HOI.ES 

Before  cutting  the  slits  in  the  necks,  some  oper- 
ators punch  small  holes,  with  a  bodkin  or  an  awl,  in 
the  sides  of  the  necks,  at  a  point  where  the  length  of 
the  slit  is  to  be  determined.  The  hole  serves  two  pur- 
poses :  First,  it  acts  as  a  guiding  mark  when  the  oper- 
ator cuts  the  slit ;  second,  it  has  an  influence  on  the 
lap-over,  allowing  it  to  be  moved  freely  as  the  lid  is 
placed  over  it. 

Round,  shouldered  magnesia  boxes  are  covered 
with  glazed  or  enameled  paper,  white  or  colored. 
Trimming  paper  is  seldom  applied.  When  tubes,  or 
rings  of  white  paper  have  been  used  in  the  construction 
of  these  boxes,  the  covering  paper  for  the  side  of  the 
box  and  side  of  the  lid  may  be  cut  to  widths  that  will 
permit  four  white  edges  of  the  box  to  show.  These 
white  edges  make  the  box  and  lid  appear  as  though 
they  had  been  trimmed  with  white  paper.    The  reader 

6i 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


is  to  understand,  however,  that  in  the  case  of  a  round 
box  with  projecting  edges,  it  would  be  necessafy  to 
apply  trimming  paper,  before  pasting  on  the  regular 
covering  paper,  as  the  trimming  paper  serves  to  hold 
the  round  piece  of  box-board  to  the  edge  of  the  ring. 

In  the  case  where  the  tops  and  bottoms  of  plain, 
round  boxes  are  to  be  covered  with  glazed  or  enam- 
eled paper,  there  are  two  methods  of  covering:  One 
method  is  in  having  one  side  of  the  box-board  (which 
is  to  be  used  for  the  tops  and  bottoms  of  the  boxes) 
covered  with  glazed  or  enameled  paper  before  the  box- 
board  is  cut  into  round  pieces.  The  other  method  is  in 
having  round  pieces  of  the  paper,  of  desired  size  and 
color,  cut  out  with  a  die,  and  the  round  pieces  of  paper 
are  then  pasted  to  the  tops  and  bottoms  of  the  boxes. 

Labels  for  round  magnesia  boxes  are  usually 
pasted  to  the  sides  of  the  boxes,  and  for  this  reason 
the  tops  and  bottoms  of  these  boxes  are  frequently 
covered  with  glazed  or  enameled  paper,  the  same  color 
as  that  applied  to  the  sides  of  the  boxes. 

As  mentioned  in  a  previous  paragraph,  some  plain, 
round  boxes,  not  having  projecting  edges,  are  trimmed 
on  all  four  edges  with  ''Round-Work  Glazed  Paper" 
before  regular  glazed  or  enameled  paper  is  applied  to 
the  sides,  but  as  a  general  rule,  only  round  boxes  with 
projecting  edges  are  treated  in  this  manner. 

HOW  THE  "'barrels''  ARE  MADE. 

To  a  person  not  familiar  with  the  process  of  man- 
ufacturing round  and  oval  paper  boxes,  it  would  ap- 

62 


MAKING  THE  BARRELS  FOR  ROUND  BOXES 

pear  that  the  sides  of  the  boxes  are  formed  of  Hght- 
weight  cardboard,  rolled  to  the  required  shape.  Such 
is  not  the  case.  The  tubes,  or  ''barrels"  from  which 
the  rings  for  the  boxes  are  cut,  are  made  of  paper. 


Knowlton  Tube  Cutting  Machine. 

The  tubes  from  which  the  shoulders  or  necks  are  cut, 
are  also  made  of  paper.  Manila  stock  is  used  for  tubes 
of  the  cheaper  grade.  Machine  finished  book  paper  is 
used  for  tubes  of  good  quality,  and  the  tubes  which  are 
used  for  the  making  of  the  finest  face  powder  boxes 
are  constructed  of  white  coated  or  enameled  paper. 
This  will  explain  the  beautiful  gloss-white  surface 
which  may  be  seen  on  the  inside  of  expensive  face 
powder  boxes. 

63 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


The  various  kinds  of  paper  used  for  the  making 
of  tubes  comes  in  rolls,  and  can  be  supplied  by  any  of 
the  well  known  paper  dealers  in  rolls  of  standard 
widths.  What  is  known  in  the  printing  trade  as 
50-pound  manila,  50-pound  machine  finished  book,  and 
80-pound  enameled  or  coated-one-side,  are  the  kinds  of 
paper  generally  used  for  making  the  different  varieties 
of  tubes.  These  papers  can  be  furnished  in  all  of  the 
standard  weights  or  thicknesses. 

Parallel  tube  rolling  machines  are  necessary  for 
this  class  of  work.  James  Brown,  Jr.,  &  Sons,  Mana- 
yunk,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  have  invented  a  tube  rolling 
machine  which  is  capable  of  turning  out  twenty-tv/o 
"barrels,"  sixteen  inches  long,  per  minute.  This  machine 
is  equipped  with  a  paste  tank,  a  steel  mandrel  of  the  de- 
sired size,  a  cut-off  device,  and  a  roll  of  the  paper,  say 
sixteen  inches  wide.  Adjustments  can  be  made  so  as 
to  roll  the  tube  to  any  required  thickness.  Three  or 
four  complete  revolutions  of  the  mandrel  are  all  that 
are  necessary  for  a  tube  which  is  to  be  used  for  small 
pill  boxes.  Flour  paste  is  recomm.ended  in  making 
tubes  of  the  kind  in  question,  but  dextrine  or  any  of 
the  patented  cold  glues  on  the  market  may  be  used  for 
the  purpose. 


64 


CHAPTER  V 


druggists'  pill  and  powder  boxes  (Continued) 

IN  addition  to  manufacturing  tube  rolling  machines 
for  the  box-makers,  James  Brown,  Jr.  &  Sons, 
Manayunk,  Philadelphia,  are  also  making  tubes  for 
the  trade.  Instead  of  manufacturing  the  tubes,  or 
"barrels/'  for  round  boxes  in  their  own  plants,  some  of 
the  box-makers  order  the  tubes  made  by  concerns  like 
James  Brown,  Jr.,  &  Sons.  Afterwards,  the  box-mak- 
ers have  the  finished  tubes  cut  into  rings  of  the  re- 
quired sizes,  and  assembled  into  boxes  in  their  own 
plants.  There  is  an  advantage,  of  course,  in  the  box- 
maker  having  his  own  tube  rolling  machines. 

The  finished  ''barrels"  for  round  paper  boxes  are 
cut  into  rings  of  various  lengths  on  a  rotary  tube- 
cutting  machine  which  works  somewhat  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  a  lathe.  Some  of  the  larger  manufacturers  of 
round  pill  boxes  have  had  special  cutting  machines 
built  for  this  purpose.  Tube-cutting  machines  of  this 
kind  are  supplied  by  some  of  the  larger  manufacturers 
of  paper  box  machinery. 

In  some  paper  box  factories,  where  small,  round 
and  oval  pill  boxes  are  produced  as  a  specialty,  the 
tubes  are  rolled  by  hand  on  forms  of  the  required 


65 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


sizes.  After  a  tube  has  been  rolled,  it  is  placed  on 
another  form  to  dry  for  about  twenty-four  hours  be- 
fore being  cut  into  small  sections  on  a  lathe.  The 
machine-made  tubes  are  said  to  be  just  as  satisfactory 
as  the  hand-made  tubes.  All  of  the  tubes  are  allowed 
to  dry  thoroughly  before  cutting  them  into  rings. 

COVERING  I^OR  ROUND  AND  OVAI,  BOXES. 

As  previously  mentioned,  small  round  and  oval 
boxes  are  first  covered  with  Round-work  Glazed  Pa- 
per, having  special  stretching  qualities.  This  stock 
comes  in  rolls,  24  inches  wide.  A  rotary  slitting  ma- 
chine is  used  for  cutting  the  paper  into  widths  of  the 
necessary  sizes.  The  slitting  and  rewinding  machine 
cuts  the  large  roll  into  strips,  and  these  are  re-wound 
into  small  rolls.  The  operators  on  the  round  and  oval 
boxes  make  use  of  the  smaller  rolls  when  covering 
the  boxes. 

The  glazed  white  or  colored  paper  used  for 
finishing  the  boxes  also  comes  in  rolls,  and  the  large 
rolls  are  cut  into  sections,  or  dififerent  widths,  on  the 
slitting  and  re-winding  machine,  in  exactly  the  same 
way  as  the  Round-work  Glazed  Paper. 

In  some  plants,  small  covering  machines,  of  spe- 
cial model,  are  used  by  the  operators  in  applying  the 
paper  to  the  sides  of  round  and  oval  boxes.  In  other 
plants,  all  of  the  covering  work  is  done  entirely  by 
hand,  the  operators  working  with  paste,  scissors,  and 
the  small,  narrow  rolls  of  glazed  paper.    This  is  ar- 


66 


CUTTING  ROUND  AND  OVAL  PIECES 


tistic  work,  indeed,  and  it  can  be  done  only  by  exper- 
ienced operators. 

The  hand-operators  work  on  spacious  tables,  and 
these  are  provided  with  the  tools,  gluing-boards,  paste- 
containers,  and  all  of  the  material  necessary  for  the 
making  of  the  round  and  oval  paper  boxes.  The  op- 
erators at  intervals  rub  their  fingers  on  small  cakes  of 
bees'  wax  to  keep  the  fingers  clear  of  paste  or  glue. 
One  operator  continually  works  at  covering  the  boxes 
and  lids;  another  works  exclusively  at  finishing,  or 
rather,  covering  the  sides  of  the  boxes  and  lids  with 
strips  of  colored  glazed  paper;  still  another  operator 
inserts  the  necks  in  the  boxes.  The  boxes  and  lids 
are  then  assembled  together,  and  the  completed  prod- 
uct is  afterwards  packed  in  large-size  paper  boxes, 
usually  holding  one  gross  each. 

CUTTING  ROUND  AND  OVAL  PIECES. 

The  round  and  oval  pieces  of  box-board  for  the 
tops  and  bottoms  of  the  round  and  oval  paper  boxes  are 
cut  to  the  proper  sizes  and  shapes  by  means  of  steel 
dies  and  a  press.  A  steel  die  of  the  required  size  and 
shape  is  placed  over  about  a  dozen  pieces  of  box- 
board.  The  die  and  stock  are  then  placed  under  the 
head  of  the  press;  powerful  pressure  is  applied,  and 
the  steel  die  cuts  through  the  dozen  or  more  pieces  of 
box-board,  cleanly  cutting  out  the  disks  or  ovals  as  the 
case  may  be.  It  is  necessary,  of  course,  to  have  a 
steel  die  for  each  size  and  shape  desired.    The  man- 

67 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


ufacturers  of  small  round  and  oval  boxes  have  com- 
plete sets  of  steel  dies,  suitable  to  all  the  standard 
sizes  of  work,  and  these  dies  are  kept  in  first-class 
condition  so  that  they  are  always  capable  of  doing 
sharp,  clean  cutting.  Several  different  dies  may  be 
put  under  a  large  press  at  one  time.  The  square  or 
oblong  pieces  of  box-board  are  cut  to  sizes  to  conform 
with  the  various  sizes  of  dies  so  as  to  prevent  as  much 
wastage  of  stock  as  possible.  A  margin  of  about  one- 
half  of  an  inch,  all-round,  will  do  for  the  average  die. 
Steel  dies  and  die-presses  can  be  furnished  by  any  of 
the  large  manufacturers  of  paper  box  machinery. 

OVAL  SHOULDERED  PILL  BOXES  WITH  PROJECTING  EDGES. 

Oval  shouldered  pill  boxes  with  projecting  edges 
are  made  much  in  the  same  manner  as  round  shoul- 
dered pill  boxes  with  projecting  edges,  with  the  ex- 
ception that  oval  forms  are  used  for  properly  shaping 
the  boxes  and  their  lids. 

The  forms  for  the  oval  boxes  are  usually  made  of 
hard-wood,  and  they  are  accurately  cut  and  smoothly 
finished  so  that  the  box  and  lid  will  fit  nicely  together. 
The  covering  is  done  while  the  box,  or  the  lid,  remains 
on  the  form.  The  regular  rings,  cut  from  the  round 
tubes  are  used,  and  these  round  rings  are  easily  placed 
over  the  oval  forms.  Extreme  care  must  be  exercised 
by  the  operator  when  applying  the  Round-work  Glazed 
paper  to  the  sides  and  projecting  edges  of  the  oval 
boxes  and  lids.  The  work  of  setting  in  the  necks  is 
comparatively  simple. 

68 


ROUND  POWDER  BOXES  WITH  DOME  TOPS 


Oval  Shouldered  Pill  Box  with  Projecting  Edge — Covered 
with  enameled  paper,  leaving  four  gold  edges. 

A  particularly  beautiful  efifect  is  obtained  by  first 
covering  an  oval  shouldered  pill  box  (projecting  edges) 
with  gold  Round-work  Glazed  paper,  and  by  then  cov- 
ering the  sides  with  white,  buff,  pink  or  blue  glazed  pa- 
per. This  leaves  four  gold  edges.  A  striking  color 
efifect  is  obtained  by  first  covering  the  box  and  lid  with 
black  paper,  and  then  covering  the  sides  with  lavender 
glazed  paper.  Purple  and  gold  make  another  pretty 
color  scheme. 

ROUND  I^ACE  POWDER  BOXES  WITH  DOME  TOPS. 

Among  the  most  popular  face  powder  boxes  are 
the  round  ones  having  domed  tops.  Boxes  of  this  de- 
sign also  have  projecting  edges.  Some  are  covered 
with  fine,  colored  and  embossed  paper,  leaving  four 
gold  edges ;  others  are  entirely  covered  with  gold  pa- 
per ;  others  still  have  four  white  or  gold  edges  and  are 
finished  with  colored  glazed  paper. 


Face  Powder  Box  with  dome  top — Covered   with  colored 
enameled  paper,  leaving  four  gold  edges. 

69 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Beck  Doming-  or  Embossing  Machine. 


The  Charles  Beck  Company,  of  609  Chestnut 
street,  Philadelphia,  make  a  duplex  embossing  press 
which  has  been  designed  especially  for  the  ''doming" 
of  tops  for  round  or  oval  face  powder  boxes.  It  is  a 
hot  press,  and  by  means  of  brass  male  and  female  dies, 


70 


ODD-SHAPED  FACE  POWDER  BOXES 


it  shapes  round  or  oval  pieces  of  box-board  into  convex 
forms  for  the  tops  of  the  boxes.  The  Beck  Duplex 
Embossing  Press  consists  of  tzvo  complete  presses 
which  operate  alternatingly.  A  set  of  dies  is  placed  in 
proper  position  in  each  press.  The  operator  places  a 
box-top  over  the  female  die  of  one  press,  and  as  that 
box-top  is  being  embossed,  the  operator  places  another 
box-top  over  the  female  die  of  the  other  press.  In 
this  way  there  is  always  a  box-top  being  embossed, 
either  on  one  press  or  the  other.  The  box-top  remains 
between  the  heated  dies  long  enough  to  be  firmly  mold- 
ed into  a  dome. 

The  printed  labels  for  dome-topped  face  powder 
boxes  are  pasted  on  the  round  or  oval  pieces  of  box- 
board  before  the  embossing  is  done,  so  that  the  labels 
will  have  the  same  convex  form  as  the  box-board.  The 
covering  is  done  the  same  as  with  flat-topped  round 
boxes  with  projecting  edges. 

ODD-SHAPED  FACE  POWDER  BOXES. 

Fancy  face  powder  boxes  are  made  in  many  dif- 
ferent sizes  and  shapes.  Some  have  mirrors  set  in  on 
the  inside  of  the  lids,  so  that  the  lady  using  the  powder, 
when  traveling,  may  see  her  face.  Novelty  boxes  of 
this  kind  are  ''irresistible"  to  the  fair  sex.  They  are  in 
great  demand,  and  they  bring  high  prices.  Some  face 
powder  boxes  are  square  with  round  corners ;  others 
have  shapes  like  hearts,  diamonds,  etc.  The  odd- 
shaped  boxes  usually  have  wide  flanges,  or  French 
edges,  top  and  bottom,  sometimes  projecting  as  much 


71 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


as  one-quarter  of  an  inch.  The  tops  are  embossed,  or 
are  padded  with  cotton  wadding  before  the  covering  is 
appHed.  The  covering  often  consists  of  fine  embossed 
paper,  in  rich  colors  Hke  deep  red,  royal  blue,  purple, 
gold,  pink,  and  warm  brown. 

All  of  these  boxes  are  made  entirely  by  hand  from 
fine  grades  of  card-board,  although  the  tops  and  bot- 
toms are  usually  of  the  ordinary  box-board,  covered  on 
both  sides  with  glazed  paper.  Forms  are  used  in  mak- 
ing the  odd-shaped  boxes,  and  the  work  is  done  by 
highly-skilled  operators  who  have  had  long  experience 
on  the  one  line  of  product. 

PLAIN  OBLONG  POWDER  BOXES. 

Small  paper  boxes  of  this  variety  are  used  exten- 
sively by  the  drug  trade  for  physicians'  prescriptions 
calling  for  powders  wrapped  in  papers. 


Oblong-  Plain  Powder  Box-^ — Covered  with  colored 
glazed  paper. 

Boxes  of  this  type  are  made  from  light-weight 
Manila,  news,  chip  or  straw-board,  and  they  are  cut, 
scored  and  folded  in  practically  the  same  way  as  the 
larger-size  set-up  boxes.  There  is  a  machine  on  the 
market  especially  designed  for  cutting  corners  and 
scoring  blanks  for  small  boxes  of  this  variety.  The 
corner-cutting  and  scoring  are  done  simultaneously. 


72 


MAKINCx  SMALL-SIZE  SLIDING  BOXES 


so  that  the  corners  and  scoring-lines  will  register  ac- 
curately. In  fine  hand-work,  pieces  of  the  glazed  cov- 
ering paper  are  cut  to  the  sizes  needed.  The  strips  of 
paper  are  pasted  around  the  sides  of  the  boxes  and  lids, 
and  the  edges  of  the  paper  are  turned  in,  top  and  bot- 
tom. 

Many  small-size,  square  and  oblong  pill  and  pow- 
der boxes  are  now  being  made  by  machines.  The  Im- 
proved Brightwood  Automatic  Box  Machine,  manu- 
factured by  the  U.  S.  Automatic  Box  Machinery  com- 
pany, of  Boston,  Mass.,  will  make  paper  boxes  as  small 
as  I  and  ^  inches  as  well  as  boxes  of  larger  sizes. 
x\nother  wonderful  device  is  the  Automatic  Box  Mak- 
ing Machine,  Model  33,  manufactured  by  the  New 
Jersey  Machine  Corporation,  of  New  York  City.  This 
machine  will  automatically  make  a  wide  range  of  small 
set-up  boxes  such  as  are  used  for  cigarettes,  cigars, 
needles,  pins,  buttons,  clips,  pills,  powders,  jewelry, 
garters,  etc' 

SIvIDING  BOXES  F^OR  POWDERS  AND  LOZENGES. 

The  small-size  sliding  boxes  are  also  used  liber- 
ally by  the  drug  trade,  for  powders,  pills,  lozenges,  etc. 


Sliding  Box — Covered  with  gold  embossed  paper. 

These  boxes  are  made  from  light-weight  manila, 
news,  chip  or  straw-board,  both  the  box  and  the  sliding 


73 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


holder  being  covered  with  glazed  paper,  or  fancy  em- 
bossed paper.  In  some  instances,  the  edges  of  the  slide 
and  box  are  trimmed,  but  in  most  cases  plain  covering 
is  done.  The  box  proper  is  made  the  same  as  a  small 
set-up  box.  The  sliding  tops  are  made  the  same  as  the 
necks  for  square  or  oblong  boxes.  Nearly  all  sliding 
boxes  are  made  by  hand. 

The  sliding  tops  for  this  kind  of  boxes  are  first 
made  in  long  sections,  being  cut  and  creased  on  a  reg- 
ular cutting  and  scoring  machine  to  the  desired  widths. 
The  long  sections  are  then  cut  into  smaller  pieces  on 
a  machine  like  the  Robinson  Chopper,  made  by  John 
T.  Robinson  Company,  of  Hyde  Park,  Boston,  Mass. 
Necks  for  other  styles  of  boxes  are  cut,  scored  and 
''chopped''  in  the  same  manner. 

After  the  long  sections  for  the  sliding  tops  have 
been  cut  into  the  proper  lengths,  the  covering  is  then 
done.  The  pieces  of  cover  paper  are  cut  on  a  paper  cut- 
ter to  the  necessary  sizes.  The  operator  first  pastes  a 
sheet  of  the  cover  paper  around  the  sides  of  the  slide, 
leaving  the  edges  of  the  paper  projecting  at  each  end  of 
the  slide.  Then,  with  scissors,  the  operator  cuts  the 
projecting  paper,  at  each  corner,  on  an  angle.  The 
edges  of  the  cover  paper  are  then  turned  in  on  the  in- 
side of  the  slide.  The  box  is  covered  the  same  as  a 
large-size  set-up  box,  the  edges  of  the  paper  being 
turned  in  at  the  top  and  bottom.  The  corners  of  small 
sliding  boxes  are  not  always  stayed,  the  covering  paper 
being  sufficient  to  hold  the  corners  together. 


74 


OBLONCx  SHOULDERED  POWDER  BOXES 


Some  sliding  boxes  are  covered  with  white 
''watered"  paper ;  others  are  covered  with  glazed  plaid 
paper  of  various  colors.  Others,  still,  are  covered  with 
calico  paper,  or  with  gold  star  paper. 

OBLONG  SHOULDERED  POWDER  BOXES. 

Paper  boxes  of  this  model  are  generally  used  by 
druggists  for  holding  physicians'  prescriptions  of  pow- 
ders, but  these  boxes  are  also  used  for  holding  cap- 
sules, tablets,  etc. 


Oblong-  Shouldered  Powder  Box — Covered  with  white 
enameled  paper,  and  having-  four  gold  edges. 

These  boxes  are  made  from  Manila,  news,  chip  or 
straw-board,  of  the  lighter  weights,  and  the  side  of  the 
stock  which  will  appear  on  the  inside  of  the  boxes  and 
lids  is  first  lined  with  white  paper.  Some  of  these 
boxes  are  made  the  same  as  regular  set-up  boxes  (with 
the  exception  of  the  neck).  Others  are  made  with  set- 
in  top  and  bottom  pieces.  The  box-board  for  the  in- 
ner tops  and  bottoms  of  the  best  quality  boxes  are  lined 
with  white  enameled  paper,  the  stock  used  for  the  sides 
of  the  boxes  is  lined  with  plain  white  paper. 

In  the  case  of  an  oblong  shouldered  box  having 
set-in  top  and  bottom  pieces,  forms,  or  blocks,  are  used 
by  the  operators  for  holding  the  tops  and  bottoms  into 


75 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


position  as  the  trimming  paper  and  covering  paper  are 
applied.  The  trimming  paper  is  applied  first,  then  the 
covering  paper  is  put  on,  leaving  four  edges  of  the 
trimming  paper  exposed. 

The  necks,  or  shoulders,  are  first  made  in  long 
sections  with  the  aid  of  a  rotary  cutting  and  scoring 
machine.  The  long  sections  are  then  cut  into  the  de- 
sired lengths  on  a  machine  like  the  Robinson  Chopper. 
The  outer  sides  of  the  necks  are  now  covered  with 
white  enameled  paper,  and  after  the  paper  has  been 
turned  in  over  the  inner  sides  of  the  necks,  the  necks 
are  then  inserted  in  the  boxes,  held  with  glue  at  the 
sides. 

Small  boxes  of  this  style  usually  are  covered  on 
the  bottoms  with  white  enameled  paper.  The  tops  of 
the  lids  are  not  covered,  the  printed  labels  used  by  the 
druggists  serving  as  coverings.  The  boxes  and  lids 
of  shouldered  boxes  of  this  kind  are  both  of  the  same 
size.  The  trimming  and  covering  is  done  in  various 
colors  of  paper. 

The  greater  number  of  square  and  oblong  shoul- 
dered boxes  have  the  tops  and  bottoms  set  in,  instead 
of  the  box  and  lid  being  formed  of  solid  pieces  of  box- 
board,  for  this  reason :  The  sides  for  shouldered 
boxes  are  made  in  long  sections,  and  after  the  long 
sections  have  been  folded  to  the  proper  shape,  and 
stayed  at  one  corner,  (on  the  inside)  the  long  sections 
are  cut  into  the  necessary  widths  on  a  chopping  ma- 
chine.   Naturally,  by  this  method,  the  "frames"  for 

76 


SQUARE  SHOULDERED  DRUGGISTS^  BOXES 


the  boxes  and  lids  are  all  of  the  same  square  or  oblong 
size,  on  account  of  having  been  cut  from  the  one  size 
material.  This  means  that  the  lid  and  box  register  ac- 
curately. 

SQUARE  SHOUIvDHRHD  BOXES. 

Square  shouldered  boxes,  for  physicians'  pre- 
scriptions of  powders  and  pills,  are  almost  as  popular 
in  the  drug  trade  as  round  boxes. 


Square  Shouldered  Pill  and  Powder  Box — Covered  with  buff 
glazed  paper,  trimmed  with  four  gold  edges. 

Practically  all  square  shouldered  pill  and  powder 
boxes  are  made  with  set-in  tops  and  bottoms.  The 
sides  are  first  made  in  long  sections.  The  long  sections 
are  then  cut  on  a  chopping  machine  to  the  smaller  sizes 
necessary  for  the  sides  of  the  boxes.  The  small 
"frames"  are  put  on  forms;  the  square  blanks  are  set 
in,  and  the  trimming  paper  is  applied  which  holds  the 
square  pieces  to  the  sides.  The  strips  of  covering  pa- 
per are  then  pasted  around  the  sides.  The  necks  are 
made  in  long  sections,  afterwards  being  cut  into  the 
required  lengths.  The  stock  used  for  the  necks  is  lined 
on  the  inner  side  with  white  paper.  After  the  long 
sections  have  been  cut  into  smaller  lengths,  each  small 
section  is  covered  on  the  outer  sides  with  white  en- 
ameled paper,  the  paper  being  turned  in  over  the  edges 


77 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


which  will  appear  at  the  top  of  the  neck.  The  necks 
are  then  inserted  in  the  boxes,  held  with  glue  at  the 
sides.  The  lids  and  boxes  are  both  the  same  size,  and 
they  register  accurately  over  the  neck. 

An  attractive  color  effect  for  a  square  shouldered 
pill  and  powder  box  is  obtained  by  first  covering  the 
box  and  lid  with  red  glazed  paper,  and  then  covering 
the  sides  of  the  box  and  lid  with  green  imitation  wood 
paper.    This  leaves  four  red  edges  showing. 

Some  square  shouldered  pill  and  powder  boxes 
have  hinged  lids,  so  that  in  the  homes  of  sick  people 
the  covers  of  different  boxes  cannot  become  inter- 
changed, and  wrong  directions  on  the  labels  of  the  cov- 
ers followed. 

SQUARE  TElvKSCOPE  BOXES. 

The  telescope  pill  and  powder  box  is  also  popular 
in  the  drug  field.  The  lid  and  box  are  both  of  the  same 
depth,  and  the  lid  fits  down  over  the  sides  of  the  box. 
A  box  of  this  type  may  be  over-filled  with  capsules  or 
powder  papers,  the  deep  lid  allowing  for  the  extra 
capacity. 


Square  Telescope  Powder  or  Pill  Box — Projecting  edges  at 
bottom — Trimmed  with  gold  paper,  and  covered 
with  colored  glazed  paper. 

Telescopic  boxes  of  this  class  are  made  the  same 

78 


SUPPOSITORY  BOXES  WITH  PARTITIONS 


as  small  set-up  boxes  in  case  where  the  box  does  not 
possess  an  extension  bottom.  When  the  box  has  pro- 
jecting, or  French  edges,  the  sides  are  made  in  the 
same  way  as  the  square  shouldered  boxes,  with  the 
exception  that  the  bottom  piece  of  blank  is  not  set  with- 
in the  sides.  In  this  case,  the  square  blank  is  placed 
against  the  edges  of  the  body,  in  proper  position,  and 
the  operator  wraps  the  paper  in  such  a  manner  as  tc 
hold  the  bottom-piece  firmly  to  the  edges  of  the  sides. 
Some  telescope  boxes  have  projecting  edges  trimmed 
with  gold  paper,  and  the  sides  covered  with  white 
enameled,  or  colored  glazed  paper.  The  inner  sides  of 
of  the  box  and  lid  are  usually  lined  with  white  glazed 
paper. 

SUPPOSITORY  BOXES  WITH  PARTITIONS. 

Suppository  boxes  with  partitions  are  made  much 
the  same  as  square  or  oblong  shouldered  pill  and  pow- 


Suppository   Box — Covered   with  white   enameled  paper, 
four  bronze  edges — Lined  with  tin  foil, 

der  boxes,  with  the  exception  of  the  lids  being  deeper, 
and  the  addition  of  the  partitions.  Some  boxes  of  this 
variety  are  hinged. 


79 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


The  stock  used  for  the  partititions  is  usually  lined 
on  both  sides  with  white  enameled  paper,  or  with  tin 
foil.  The  interior  of  the  box  and  lid  is  also  lined 
either  with  white  enameled  paper,  or  with  tin  foil,  to 
correspond  with  the  partitions. 

The  Charles  Beck  company,  of  Philadelphia,  sup- 
ply a  paper  box-maker's  saw  which  is  particularly 
adapted  to  the  work  of  sawing  slots  for  partitions  of 
paper  boxes.  The  E.  G.  Staude  Manufacturing  com- 
pany, of  St.  Paul,  Minn.^  furnish  the  Junior  and  Stand- 
ard Slotters  which  are  adapted  to  all  kinds  of  slotting 
work  for  paper  box  partitions.  The  Staude  slotting 
machines  are  equipped  with  autonictic  feeders,  and 
they  are  capable  of  turning  out  a  great  amount  of 
finished  product  very  rapidly. 

The  edges  of  the  partitions  are  glued  to  the  sides 
and  bottoms  of  the  boxes. 


80 


CHAPTER  VI 


CANDY  BOXES 


N  account  of  the  greatly  increasing  demand  for 


\^_^  candy  boxes  of  all  kinds  in  every  section  of 
the  country,  the  writer  thought  it  w^ell  to  devote  a 
chapter  to  this  important  subject,  and  an  attempt  w^ill 
be  made  to  explain  the  styles  and  construction  of  the 
most  popular  models  of  candy  boxes  w^hich  are  on  the 
market  at  the  present  time.  It  w^ould  be  almost  im- 
possible for  one  to  describe  all  of  the  many  different 
kinds  of  candy  boxes  which  are  being  made  today,  so 
it  is  the  writer's  intention  to  mention  merely  those 
boxes  that  may  be  considered  as  standard  in  the  trade. 

Standardization  of  the  styles  and  sizes  of  candy 
boxes  is  something  that  is  seriously  needed  in  the  pa- 
per box  industry,  but  standardization  cannot  always  be 
followed  by  the  manufacturers  of  candy  boxes  for  the 
reason  that  the  confectioners  often  want  odd-shaped 
ard  special  sizes  of  boxes  to  make  their  product  more 
attractive  to  the  public.  It  is  a  fact  that  a  beautiful, 
odd-shaped  paper  box  helps  greatly  in  selling  expensive 
candies,  and  even  a  ''freak''  box  that  is  attractive  with- 
out being  beautiful  is  nevertheless  a  powerful  selling 
agent.  When  the  confectioner  wants  an  out-of-the- 
ordinary  box,  and  is  willing  to  pay  the  necessary  cost. 


8i 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


the  box-maker  should  give  the  confectioner  what  he 
wants,  but  whenever  possible  to  talk  the  confectioner 
into  using  boxes  of  standard  sizes,  the  box-maker 
should  do  so,  as  the  standard  styles  and  sizes  of  candy 
boxes  will  serve  well  for  every  practical  purpose. 

DEMAND  FOR  SWEETMEATS 

With  the  passing  of  strong  drinks  in  this  country 
came  a  greater  demand  for  sweetmeats  from  every 
direction.  Confectionery  and  ice  cream  parlors  are 
taking  the  places  of  liquor  saloons  in  many  instances. 
New  candy  factories  are  being  erected  in  almost  every 
town  and  city.  American  men  and  women  are  con- 
suming larger  quantities  of  chocolates,  chewing  gum 
and  candies  than  ever  before — they  are  paying  high 
prices  for  the  best  sweetmeats,  and  expensive  grades 
of  confections  are  selling  more  rapidly  than  the  cheap- 
er grades.  All  of  this  means  more  business  for  the 
box-makers,  and  the  box  manufacturer  who  is  in  a  po- 
sition to  make  fine  candy  boxes  as  a  specialty  may  have 
all  of  this  class  of  work  that  he  may  care  to  produce. 

Many  box-makers  are  specializing  in  fancy  candy 
boxes.  Their  plants  are  equipped  to  handle  this  one 
line  of  product  to  the  best  advantage.  By  making  a 
specialty  of  this  line,  a  great  deal  of  the  work  can  be 
standardized  in  such  a  way  that  the  blanks,  wrappers, 
neck-strips,  trimming  paper,  covering  paper,  extension 
bottoms,  etc.,  can  be  cut  to  standard  sizes.  The  oper- 
ators, through  working  continually  on  the  same  styles 
and  sizes  of  boxes,  soon  become  very  efficient,  and  are 


82 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  MACHINES 


capable  of  producing  a  larger  output  than  would  be  the 
case  in  a  plant  that  is  not  specializing  on  candy  boxes. 
All  successful  box-makers  are  specializing  in  some  par- 
ticular kind  of  work,  and  this  is  a  custom  which  should 
be  more  generally  followed  in  the  trade. 

SYSTEMATIC  ARRANGEMENT  OF  MACHINES 

On  the  next  page  is  a  diagram  which  shows  a 
systematic  arrangement  of  machines  for  staying  and 
wrapping  extension  bottom  boxes  and  lids,  affixing  two 
laces  in  each  box,  and  closing  the  boxes. 

The  extension  bottoms  are  registered  and  attached 
to  the  box  and  lid  blanks  by  means  of  a  Stokes  & 
Smith  Extension  Bottom  Gauge,  Model  W. 

The  blanks  are  glued  with  a  hand  stencil  and 
are  placed  in  the  gauge  with  the  extension  bottoms, 
after  which  they  are  delivered  to  the  staying  machine, 
which  is  elevated  on  a  portable  platform. 

After  the  staying  operation  the  boxes  and  lids 
are  passed  through  a  hopper  to  the  operator  of  a  Stokes 
&  Smith  Wrapping  Machine. 

The  operator  of  the  gluing  machine  places  the 
glued  wrappers  upon  a  revolving  table  within  con- 
venient reach  of  the  wrapping  machine  operator. 

From  the  wrapping  machine  the  lids  are  dis- 
charged to  a  receiving  table  ready  for  closing.  The 
boxes  are  discharged  to  a  hopper  conveniently  located 
near  the  lacing  machine  operator,  who  applies  the 
two  laces  to  each  box  and  then  passes  it  on  to  the  re- 
ceiving table.    The  boxes  are  then  conveyed  to  the 

83 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


THE  MAKING  OF  PLAIN  CANDY  BOXES 


table  on  which  the  Hds  have  been  discharged,  where 
the  boxes  and  Hds  are  closed  ready  for  packing. 

This  is  one  of  the  efficiency  plans  which  is  be- 
ing used  in  many  large  box  factories  with  success- 
ful results. 

PLAIN  CANDY  BOXES 

Plain  candy  boxes  are  made  of  chip-board,  news- 
board,  or  straw-board,  the  board  lined  on  the  inner 
side  with  white  news  or  book  paper  before  being 


Plain  Telescope  Candy  Box. 


cut  up  into  blanks  of  various  sizes.  The  board  is  cut 
and  scored  to  the  required  sizes  on  a  cutting  and 
scoring  machine.  The  corners  are  then  cut  out  of  the 
blanks  on  either  a  single  or  double  cornering  ma- 
chine. The  top  of  the  lid  is  covered  on  a  topping 
machine.  The  corners  of  the  box  and  lid  are  stayed  on 
a  staying  machine.  The  sides  of  the  box  and  lid  are 
covered  with  white  or  colored  glazed  paper  on  a  cov- 
ering machine. 


85 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Plain  boxes  of  this  type  may  also  be  covered 
on  the  automatic  wrapping  machine,  but  in  that  case 
the  wrappers  must  be  cut  out  at  the  corners  as  de- 
scribed in  a  previous  article.  Either  tight  wrapping 
or  loose  wrapping  can  be  done  on  a  Stokes  &  Smith 
machine,  or  on  an  Alger  Wrapping  Machine. 

Plain  candy  boxes  are  made  in  i,  2  and 

5  pound  sizes. 

TELESCOPE    CANDY  BOXES 

These  are  made  in  the  same  manner  as  plain  set- 
up boxes,  with  the  exception  of  the  lid  which  is  as 


Telescope  Perfumery  Box. 


deep  as  the  box,  and  which  sets  down  over  the  sides 
of  the  box,  permitting  the  box  to  contain  an  over- 
flow of  candy.  Boxes  of  this  kind  usually  have  the 
lid  loose  wrapped,  but  many  are  tight  wrapped,  or  are 
covered  in  the  regular  way  on  covering  and  topping 
machines. 

The  loose  wrapped  candy  box  is  very  popular 


86 


CANDY  BOXES  WITH  FANCY  LACES 


on  account  of  its  artistic  appearance.  The  same 
wrapper  tightly  glued  on  the  lid  would  not  look  as 
well  as  the  loose  wrap.  This  statement  applies  to 
telescope  candy  boxes.  The  loose  wrap  plan  saves 
a  considerable  quantity  of  glue,  as  the  glue  is  applied 
only  to  the  margins  of  the  wrapper. 

The  majority  of  telescope  candy  boxes  are  cov- 
ered on  wrapping  machines,  although  many  are  cov- 
ered by  hand.  The  shape  of  this  style  of  box  is  long 
and  rather  narrow,  so  far  as  the  smaller  sizes  are  con- 
cerned. They  are  made  in  i,  2  and  5  pound 
sizes. 

LACING 

Paper  lacing  adds  decidedly  to  the  appearance  of  the 
interior  of  a  candy  box,  and  it  helps  in  making  the 
contents  of  the  box  look  tempting.  Nearly  all  good 
candy  boxes  contain  lacing  for  the  reasons  mentioned, 
and  some  have  lacing  which  is  of  excellent  quality.  In 
some  cases  the  box  has  two  laces,  one  on  either  side, 
and  in  other  instances,  a  plain  or  fancy  fly  leaf  on  one 
side. 

The  Stokes  &  Smith  Lacing  and  Fly-Leafing  Ma- 
chine is  a  ver}^  useful  device  on  this  class  of  work. 
It  will  glue  and  insert  laces  or  fly-leaves  to  the  boxes 
as  fast  as  the  operator  can  handle  them. 

A  great  deal  of  lacing  and  fly-leafing  work  is 
still  being  done  by  hand  operators,  and  one  advantage 
of  the  hand-work  is  that  a  pure  white  paste  may  be 
used,  while  the  machine  requires  glue  to  run  properly. 
On  fine  candy  boxes  sanitary  white  paste  should  be 

87 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


used  for  the  lacing  or  fly-leaves,  as  a  yellow  glue 
would  not  look  as  clean. 

The  U.  S.  Lace  Paper  Works,  Inc.,  of  New  York 
City,  supply  many  different  varieties  of  lacing  to  the 
trade.    This  paper  may  be  run  on  the  Stokes  &  Smith 


Lacing  and  Fly-Leafing  Machine,  or  on  the  Bird  Fly 
Machine.  Sample  books  of  the  lacing  will  be  furnished 
on  request. 


SHOULDERED  BOXES  WITH   EXTENSION  TOPS  AND 
BOTTOMS 

Manufacturers  of  fine  chocolates  and  candies  are 
using  shouldered  boxes  with  extension  tops  and  bot- 
toms to  a  great  extent  as  containers  of  this  product, 
and  many  boxes  of  this  variety  also  have  padded  tops. 

88 


EXTENSION  TOPS  AND  BOTTOMS 


The  boxes  and  lids  are  first  made  in  the  same  way 
as  plain  set-up  boxes.  Separate  pieces  of  box-board, 
about  ^  of  an  inch  larger  on  all  four  edges  than  the 
size  of  the  box,  are  then  glued  to  the  tops  of  the  lids 
and  to  the  bottoms  of  the  boxes.  After  this  has  been 
done,  the  boxes  and  lids  are  then  wrapped  with  the 
covering  paper,  the  paper  being  turned  in  over  the 
top  edges  of  the  box  and  the  corresponding  edges  of 
the  lid.  The  shoulder,  or  neck  section  is  then  set  in  the 
box. 


The  John  T.  Robinson  Company,  of  Hyde  Park, 
Mass.,  has  designed  an  extension  edge  machine 
which  is  especially  adapted  to  this  kind  of  work.  The 
machine  automatically  glues  and  places  the  blanks  on 
the  tops  and  bottoms  of  the  boxes,  placing  the  blanks 
accurately  into  position  so  that  the  margins  are  the 
same  on  all  four  edges.  Stacks  of  the  blanks  are 
set  in  the  machine  which  is  equipped  with  a  glue- 
fountain  and  rollers  for  applying  glue  to  one  side  of 


Candy  Box  with  Extension  Top  and  Boiioin. 


89 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


the  blanks.  As  the  operator  places  a  box  or  lid  on  the 
form,  an  automatic  feeding  device  moves  the  glued 
blank  to  the  box  or  lid  in  just  the  right  position.  This 
machine  is  adjustable,  of  course,  to  blanks  of  various 
sizes.  The  Stokes  &  Smith  Extension  Bottom  Gauge 
is  another  time-saving  device  for  this  kind  of  product. 


stack  of  Box  BlanKri  with  Bottoms  Attached. 


As  mentioned  before,  the  Stokes  &  Smith  Wrap- 
ping Machine  is  well  adapted  to  the  work  of  wrapping 
candy  boxes  having  extension  edges,  but  when  this 
or  any  other  wrapping  machine  is  used  for  such  work, 
it  is  essential  that  the  wrappers  be  cut  out  at  the  cor- 
ners to  suit  the  requirements. 


Box  Ready  for  Staying. 


In  the  case  of  a  padded  top  for  a  candy  box,  this 
top  is  applied  after  the  cotton  wadding  has  been  put 

90 


FINE  CANDY  BOXES  WITH  PADDED  TOPS 


oil  and  covered.  First,  the  cotton  wadding  is  loosely 
placed  on  the  piece  of  box-board  which  is  to  form  the 
top.  Second,  a  sheet  of  heavy  paper,  same  size  as  the 
wadding,  is  laid  over  the  top  of  the  wadding.  Third, 
the  top  is  then  wrapped  with  the  covering  paper, 


Development  of  the  Wrapper. 


turning  in  over  the  under-side  of  the  top.  Fourth,  the 
covered,  padded  top  is  now  glued  to  the  top  of  the  lid 
which  has  previously  been  covered  on  the  sides.  This 
is  said  to  be  the  most  efficient  method  for  making  lids 
with  padded  tops,  although  it  is  practicable  to  cover 
the  lid  while  the  piece  of  box-board  and  wadding  rests 
upon  it. 

Some  expensive  candy  boxes  in  the  larger  sizes, 
square  or  oblong,  have  extension  edges  as  wide  as  ^ 
of  an  inch,  but  in  such  cases  the  box-board  used  for 
the  tops  and  bottoms  should  be  of  heavy  weight  so 


91 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


that  the  wide,  covered  edges  will  not  break  easily. 
Most  extension  edges  on  candy  boxes  average  from  ^ 
to  34  of  inch. 


Shouldered  Candy  Box  Tied  with  Ribbon. 


Many  shouldered  candy  boxes  with  extension 
edges  have  padded  tops ;  are  covered  with  fine  colored 
and  embossed  paper,  and  are  tied  together  with  silk 
or  satin  ribbon  of  a  color  that  blends  well  with  the 
color  of  the  covering.  When  ribbons  are  used,  the 
ribbons  are  inserted  between  the  bottom  of  the  box 
and  the  piece  of  box-board  which  forms  the  extension 
edges,  which  means  that  the  extension-bottom  piece 
must  be  glued  to  the  bottom  of  the  box  after  the  rib- 
bons have  been  applied.  The  ends  of  the  ribbons  are 
to  be  tied  in  large  bows  over  the  top  of  the  lid  after 
the  sweetmeats  have  been  placed  in  the  box.    Or,  the 


92 


TRAYS  FOR  FANCY  CANDY  BOXES 


ribbons  may  be  in  the  form  of  loops,  which  sHp  over 
the  Hd. 

The  shoulders,  or  necks,  are  made  in  long  strips ; 
are  folded  and  stayed  at  one  corner,  and  are  then  cut 
to  the  proper  sizes  for  insertion  in  the  boxes.  The 
cut  sections  of  shoulder-strips  are  covered  with  glazed 
paper,  at  the  top  edges,  before  being  set  in  the  boxes. 

Box-board  used  for  all  good  candy  boxes  is  lined 
on  one  side  with  white  news  or  book  paper  before  be- 
ing cut  and  scored. 

TRAYS  FOR  CANDY  BOXES 

Not  a  few  of  the  better-grade  candy  boxes  are 
fitted  with  trays  for  holding  the  dififerent  kinds  of 
chocolates,  etc.,  separately.  Some  of  the  larger-size 
candy  boxes  have  several  trays,  arranged  either  in 
groups  or  in  tiers.  Others  have  merely  one  tray. 
These  trays  are  made  of  the  ordinary,  light-weight 
box-board  in  the  same  way  as  set-up  boxes,  cut, 
scored,  cornered,  stayed  and  covered  with  white 
glazed  paper.  Before  being  cut,  the  box-board  is 
lined  on  one  side  with  white  paper. 

FLAT  CANDY  BOXES 

Flat  candy  boxes  are  made  as  low  as  i  inch,  and 
are  made  in  various  sizes.  They  are  used  for  holding 
single  layers  of  chocolates,  caramels,  gum-drops,  etc., 
and  by  reason  of  their  long  and  wide  shape  they  have 
the  appearance  of  holding  more  material  than  is  ac- 
tually the  case.    The  flat  box  of  this  type  is  usually 


93 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


of  the  telescopic  pattern,  extension  edge  bottom,  the  lid 
fitting  down  over  the  sides  of  the  box,  although  many 
are  made  with*out  extension  bottoms.  Sometimes 
small  ends  of  ribbon  are  glued  to  the  inner  sides  of 
the  lid,  the  ends  of  the  ribon  extending  outside  so  that 
one  may  readily  lift  the  low  lid  with  the  aid  of  the  rib- 
bons. 

Thumb-holes  at  the  sides  of  the  lids  are  advisable 
with  boxes  of  this  kind.  The  thumb-holes  are  cut  after 
the  lids  have  been  covered.  There  are  several  Thumb- 
hole  cutting  machines  on  the  market  which  are  cap- 
able of  handling  all  varieties  of  such  work. 

THE  DUPLEX  SHOULDER-BOX  PRESSER 

The  Stokes  &  Smith  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  is 
manufacturing  the  Duplex  Shoulder-Box  Presser 
which  is  a  time-saving  device  for  all  kinds  of  shoulder- 
box  work.  The  use  of  this  machine  prevents  the 
sides  of  the  boxes  from  pulling  away  from  the  shoul- 
der, and  it  also  eliminates  finger  markings  so  noticeable 
in  hand-work. 

This  company  also  manufactures  a  Shoulder-Box 
Gluing  Machine  which  is  intended  for  gluing  the  in- 
side of  shoulder-boxes,  and  the  device  is  a  big  time- 
gainer  over  the  ordinary  hand  method  of  gluing  necks, 
or  shoulders. 

ROUND  CANDY  BOXES  WITH  EXTENSION  EDGES 

All  round  candy  boxes  are  made  by  hand  by 
skilled  operators  who  have  had  long  experience  in  the 


94 


ROUND  BOXES  WITH  EXTENSION  EDGES 


one  line  of  work.  Practically  all  round  candy  boxes 
are  made  with  extension  tops  and  bottoms,  and  have 
shoulders,  although  some  are  being  made  with  plain 
tops  and  bottoms.  The  round,  shouldered  box  with 
extension  edges  is  formed  of  four  (4)  pieces  of  box- 
board — two  disks,  the  side-piece,  and  the  neck. 

The  disks  are  cut  out  to  the  proper  sizes  on  a  die- 
press  by  means  of  round  steel  dies.  When  plain  cov- 
ering paper  is  to  be  applied  to  the  tops,  or  fancy  cov- 
ering paper  for  that  matter,  this  paper  is  also  cut  to 
the  necessary  sizes  and  shapes  with  the  aid  of  round 
steel  dies. 

For  the  side-pieces  of  round  candy  boxes  the  stock 
should  be  a  quality  of  strong  cardboard  which  will  roll 
easily  into  ''rings.''  The  ring  is  held  together  at  the 
two  ends  with  a  strip  of  stay-paper,  or  linen,  glued 
to  the  inner  side  of  the  ring. 

First,  the  ring  is  placed  over  a  form  to  obtain 
the  proper  round  shape.  Second,  one  of  the  round 
pieces  of  box-board,  which  is  to  form  the  top  or 
bottom  and  extension  edges,  is  placed  to  the  edges 
of  the  ring  in  accurate  position.  Third,  the  operator 
then  applies  the  covering  paper,  wrapping  it  around 
the  sides  of  the  ring  and  turning  over  the  edges  of  the 
paper,  top  and  bottom  of  the  ring.  The  box  and  lid 
are  both  covered  in  the  same  way,  the  paper  holding 
the  round  disks  of  box-board  to  the  edges  of  the  rings. 
Fourth,  a  round  piece  of  paper  is  pasted  to  the  lid  of 
the  box.    Fifth,  a  slightly  smaller  ring  than  the  one 


95 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


forming  the  side  of  the  box,  and  higher,  is  glued  to  the 
inside  of  the  box.  This  forms  the  neck,  or  shoulder. 
The  box  is  now  complete. 

Plain,  round  candy  boxes  are  made  much  in  the 
same  manner,  only  the  round  disks  of  box-board  are 


Large  Round  Candy  Box  with  Plat  Top, 


inserted  at  the  top  edges  of  the  rings.  Boxes  of  this 
model  usually  have  shoulders,  although  some  few  are 
made  on  the  telescopic  pattern,  the  lid  being  large 
enough  to  fit  down  over  the  edges  and  sides  of  the  box. 

96 


LARGE  ROUND  BOXES  WITH  DOME  TOPS 


Through  the  courtesy  of  Jesse  Jones  Company,  of 
Philadelphia,  the  writer  is  able  to  furnish  information 
in  reference  to  large  round  boxes  with  convex,  or  dome 
tops — information  which  is  very  practical  and  valu- 
able. The  Jesse  Jones  Company  for  many  years  has 
been  noted  for  the  production  of  round  and  fancy 
candy  boxes  and  this  concern  has  been  successful  in 
building  up  an  extensive  business  in  this  line. 

Dome  tops  for  large-size  round  boxes,  such  as  the 
five-pound  size,  for  example,  are  made  after  the  lids 
and  boxes  have  been  covered.  The  finished  boxes  are 
lined  up  on  a  spacious  table.  The  lids  are  then  inverted 
and  placed  upside  down  over  the  top  edges  of  the 
boxes.  Over  the  inverted  lids  soft,  dampened  pieces 
of  muslin  are  spread.  Each  inverted  lid  is  then  filled 
with  fine  buck-shot,  and  while  holding  the  buck-shot 
the  boxes  and  lids  are  allowed  to  stand  in  that  condi- 
tion for  several  hours.  The  dampened  muslin  and 
the  weight  of  the  buck-shot  causes  the  top  of  the  lid 
to  shape  into  an  almost  perfect  convex  form.  This 
is  said  to  be  the  best  process  for  doming  the  tops  of 
large  round  boxes.  The  lids  for  large-size  oval  or 
odd  shaped  boxes  can  be  domed  in  the  same  way.  It 
is  necessary,  of  course,  for  the  box-maker  to  have  on 
hand  a  considerable  quantity  of  the  fine  buck-shot 
when  following  this  plan. 

ART  CANDY  BOXES 

Some  fine  candy  boxes  are  covered  with  silk  or 
satin,  and  on  the  tops  of  others  are  glued  fancy  "cut- 


97 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


outs,"  such  as  pictures  of  girl's  heads,  yachts,  flowers, 
etc.  Hand-painted  designs,  pictures,  etc.,  are  glued  to 
the  tops  of  some  of  the  larger-size  boxes.    There  is 


always  a  strong  demand  for  beautiful  candy  boxes 
of  this  kind,  no  matter  how  costly  they  may  be.  They 
are  particularly  popular  at  Christmas  time. 

LARGE,    ODD-SHAPED    CANDY  BOXES 

The  larger-size  candy  boxes,  like  the  five-pound 
size,  are  often  made  in  the  form  of  hearts,  diamonds, 
hexagon,  octagon,  square  with  round  corners,  oblong 
with  round  corners,  shamrocks,  fans,  keystones,  shields, 

98 


LARGE,  ODD-SHAPED  CANDY  BOXES 


and  other  figures.  Nearly  all  boxes  of  this  variety 
have  shoulders  and  extension  tops  and  bottoms.  The 
pieces  of  box-boards  for  the  tops  and  bottoms,  what- 
ever the  shape  desired  may  be,  are  cut  out  by  means  of 
steel  dies,  and  the  cover  paper  for  the  tops  are  also 
cut  out  with  steel  dies,  so  that  the  paper  will  ac- 
curately fit  on  the  tops,  or  lids,  after  the  other  cov- 
ering work  has  been  done. 

Moreover,  for  fancy  boxes  of  this  class,  smaller 
pieces  of  box-board  than  the  pieces  used  for  the  ex- 
tension tops  and  bottoms  must  also  be  cut  out  into  the 
shapes  of  hearts,  diamonds,  etc.,  to  be  used  as  formers 
for  the  boxes  and  lids,  as  follows : 

First,  the  strip  of  heavy  cardboard  for  the  side 
of  the  box  is  stayed  together  at  the  ends,  and  the  side- 
piece  is  then  placed  around  a  form  of  a  heart,  diamond 
or  whatever  the  subject  may  be.  This  correctly  forms 
the  sides  of  the  odd-shaped  box,  but  to  keep  the  shape 
permanently,  the  smaller  piece  of  box-board  is  set  in 
at  the  top,  and  the  sides  of  the  box  are  then  covered, 
the  edges  of  the  covering  paper  being  turned  at  the 
top  of  the  form  so  as  to  hold  the  set-in  piece  firmly. 
The  form  may  now  be  removed  from  the  box,  and  the 
covered  extension-edge  piece  of  box-board  glued  on. 
The  lid  is  constructed  in  the  same  way. 

Another,  and  perhaps  a  better  method  is  in  plac- 
ing the  side-piece  on  the  form;  setting  in  the  bottom 
or  top-piece ;  gluing  on  the  extension-edge  piece,  and 
then  covering  the  box  in  such  a  manner  as  to  wrap  the 


99 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


edges  of  the  covering  paper  around  the  sides  and  ex- 
tension-edges. The  cut  out  piece  of  covering  paper — 
a  heart,  diamond,  or  whatever  it  may  be — is  then 
pasted  to  the  top  of  the  Hd. 

It  is  to  be  understood  that  the  side-pieces,  and 
the  set-in  top  and  bottom-pieces  are  Hned  on  the  inner 
side  with  white  or  colored  glazed  paper  before  the 
boxes  and  lids  are  made.  In  other  words,  the  stock 
is  lined  before  being  cut  into  the  different  shapes. 


ICK) 


CHAPTER  VII 


MISCElvIvANEOUS  PAPER  BOXES. 

IT  is  the  writer's  purpose  to  devote  this  chapter  to 
miscellaneous  paper  boxes  that  are  in  popular  de- 
mand and  v^hich  may  be  classed  as  specialty  lines. 
Important  facts  about  the  style  and  construction  of 
the  various  kinds  of  boxes  w^ill  be  given,  and  by  care- 
fully studying  this  practical  information,  the  reader 
should  be  capable  of  making  any  of  the  boxes  in 
question.  In  some  instances,  how^ever,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  employ  the  special  machinery  which  will 
be  referred  to. 

WEDDING,  PARTY  AND  BANQUET  BOXES. 

For  centuries  it  has  been  the  custom  for  people 
attending  a  wedding  reception  to  receive  individual 
pieces  of  the  wedding  cake  to  take  home  as  souve- 
nirs. It  is  a  pretty  custom  and  doubtless  it  will  remain 
in  vogue  until  the  end  of  time.  Some  brides  simply 
wrap  the  pieces  of  cake  in  fancy  paper  napkins,  but 
those  who  want  to  have  things  done  right  usually 
place  the  bits  of  cake  in  fancy  paper  boxes  so  as  to 
prevent  breakage.  Some  newly-weds  go  so  far  as  to 
have  the  names  of  the  bride  and  groom  printed  or 
die  stamped  on  the  lids  of 'tht  l^oxeS 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Wedding  cake  boxes  are  small  in  size,  and  are 
made  in  the  shape  of  hearts,  diamonds,  clover-leaf, 
fans,  etc.  Small,  plain,  round,  oval,  square  or  oblong 
boxes  are  often  used  for  this  purpose,  but  the  odd- 
shaped  boxes  mentioned  are  always  the  most  popular. 

In  making  a  heart-shaped  wedding  cake  box,  for 
example,  the  side-piece  of  cardboard  is  placed  around 
a  heart-shaped  form,  after  having  been  stayed  to- 
gether at  the  two  ends.  The  top-piece,  cut  out  in 
the  shape  of  a  heart  of  the  proper  size,  is  then  in- 
serted. After  this  has  been  done,  the  sides  of  the 
box  are  covered  with  fancy  paper,  the  edges  of  the 
paper  being  turned  over  at  the  top  and  at  the  bottom. 
A  heart-shaped  piece  of  paper  is  then  pasted  on  the 
top  of  the  lid.  Both  the  lid  and  the  box  are  made 
in  the  same  way — on  forms — only  it  is  not  necessary 
to  cover  the  bottom  of  the  box  with  a  heart-shaped 
piece  of  paper. 

A  box  of  this  kind  usually  contains  a  shoulder, 
both  the  lid  and  box  being  of  the  same  size.  The 
shoulder-piece  is  set  in  after  the  box  has  been  formed 
and  covered.  The  stock  for  the  top  and  bottom  pieces 
is  lined  with  colored  or  white  glazed  paper  before 
being  cut  out  in  the  form  of  hearts.  The  stock  for 
the  side  pieces  is  also  lined  before  being  cut  to  the 
essential  sizes.  This  means  that  the  box  and  lid  are 
lined  on  the  inner  sides  before  being  made  up  as  de- 
scribed. 

HEART  S-IArED  BOXES. 

Whcu  a  heart-shaped  box  is  to  have  an  extension 


ODD-SHAPED  DESSERT  BOXES 


top  and  bottom,  the  top  and  bottom  pieces  are  put  on 
after  the  box  lid  has  been  made  on  the  forms.  The 
heart-shaped  pieces  of  boxboard  which  are  to  serve 
as  extension  tops  are  about  ^  of  an  inch  larger  all 
round  than  the  pieces  of  heart-shaped  board  which 
have  properly  formed  the  top  of  the  lid  and  the  bot- 
tom of  the  box.  The  covering  may  be  done  after  the 
extension  tops  and  bottoms  have  been  attached,  or 
the  covering  may  be  done  before  they  are  attached, 
but  in  the  latter  instance,  it  would  be  necessary  to 
cover  the  extension  top  and  bottom  pieces,  and  their 
edges,  before  attaching  them. 

Other  odd-shaped  boxes,  such  as  diamonds,  clover- 
leaf,  fans,  etc.,  and  made  on  the  same  plan  as  the  heart- 
shaped  box.  Practically  all  boxes  of  this  variety  have 
shoulders.  Some  have  extension  tops  and  bottoms, 
others  are  made  plain.  The  covering  is  done  in  fancy 
colored,  glazed,  embossed,  watered  or  gloss-white 
paper.    The  box  usually  contains  fine  paper  laces. 

Fancy  boxes  of  this  class  are  frequently  used  at 
parties  in  the  same  way  as  at  wedding  receptions,  the 
guests  being  presented  with  the  boxes  which  are  filled 
with  candies,  nuts,  or  cake. 

At  many  of  the  special  banquets  given  by  clubs, 
business  organizations  and  fraternal  societies,  ice  cream 
and  other  desserts  are  served  in  fancy  boxes,  thus 
adding  an  unusual  touch  to  the  last  course  of  the 
dinner.  These  ''banquet''  or  dessert,  boxes  are  made 
in  various  odd  shapes,  and  are  also  made  square,  ob- 

103 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


long,  round  or  oval,  and  as  a  general  rule,  there  are 
no  lids  for  the  boxes  which  are  covered  with  colored, 
gold,  silver,  white  or  embossed  paper.  The  inside  of 
a  box,  used  for  this  purpose,  should  be  lined  with 
plain  white  book  paper,  rather  than  with  colored  paper, 
so  that  the  coloring  matter  in  the  paper  would  not 
transfer  to  the  dessert.  Two  fine  paper  laces  add  an 
artistic  finish  to  a  square,  or  oblong,  box  of  this 
variety.  The  square  and  oblong  dessert  boxes  are 
made  in  the  same  manner  as  plain  set-up  boxes,  cut 
out  of  a  single  piece  of  boxboard,  the  corners  stayed 
and  the  sides  covered  with  colored  or  white  glazed 
paper. 

JEWELRY  BOXES. 

Some  concerns  are  making  a  specialty  of  jewelry 
boxes  and  the  field  for  this  product  is  very  extensive. 
Many  jewelers  pack  watches,  rings,  tie  pins,  dress 
pins,  clasp  pins,  lockets,  belt  buckles,  cigarette  cases, 
match  boxes,  vanity  cases,  mesh  bags,  rosaries,  fans, 
fountain  pens,  etc.,  in  pretty  paper  boxes  of  the  proper 
shapes,  and  not  a  few  of  these  boxes  are  works  of  art. 
The  writer  recently  saw  a  small  paper  box  for  a 
diamond  ring,  which  cost  the  jeweler  one  dollar 
apiece,  the  party  who  bought  the  ring  paying  for  the 
box,  of  course.  The  box  in  question  was  beautifully 
covered  with  thin,  dark  green  leather,  and  four  edges 
of  the  box  were  hand-tooled,  the  borders  being  finished 
in  goldleaf.  The  interior  of  the  box  was  lined  with 
white  satin,  with  billows  and  a  rest  for  the  ring  formed 


104 


MANY  STYLES  OF  JEWELRY  BOXES 


of  the  same  material.  The  box  also  contained  a  shoul- 
der and  the  lid  was  hinged. 

Some  jewelry  boxes  are  made  in  the  regular  set- 
up style,  others  are  made  with  shoulders.  Round 
and  oval  boxes  are  often  used  for  watches,  rings, 
lockets,  necklaces,  etc.,  while  long,  oblong  boxes  are 
used  for  tie  pins,  fountain  pens,  chains,  gold  pencils, 
envelope  openers,  pen  knives,  dress  pins,  hair  pins,  etc. 
Square  boxes  are  adapted  to  silver  and  gold  belt  buck- 
les, ladies'  shoe  buckles,  match  boxes,  cigarette  cases, 
mesh  bags,  etc.  The  progressive  jeweler  carries  a  wide 
assortment  of  fine  paper  boxes,  of  many  dififerent 
shapes  and  sizes,  so  that  he  may  have  a  box  suitable 
for  any  piece  of  jewelry,  or  novelty,  sold.  He  will 
even  have  sets  of  larger  size  boxes  for  holding  silver- 
ware, toilet  articles,  fans,  cut  glass,  picture  frames, 
clocks,  and  so  forth. 

COVERED  AND  LINED. 

These  details  will  convey  to  the  reader  an  idea 
of  the  great  variety  of  paper  boxes  required  by  the 
average  jeweler.  Many  of  the  smaller  boxes  are  cov- 
ered with  white  or  colored  glazed  paper,  and  are  lined 
and  padded  with  silk,  satin,  plush  or  velvet,  of  a  tint 
or  color  that  will  harmonize  with  the  color  or  tint  of 
the  box  covering.  One  of  the  most  beautiful  paper 
boxes  ever  seen  by  the  writer  was  one  of  oval  shape, 
used  for  holding  a  costly  pearl  necklace.  This  box 
contained  a  shoulder  with  the  edges  of  the  shoulder 
covered  with  white  glazed  paper.    The  outside  of  the 

105 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


box  and  lid  was  covered  with  golden-brown  paper  in 
imitation  leather.  The  interior  of  the  box  and  lid 
was  lined  with  pale  buff  velvet,  padded  in  the  bottom 
of  the  box  in  such  a  way  as  to  form  a  resting  place 
for  the  string  of  pearls.  Note  the  beauty  of  this 
color  scheme. 

One  prominent  jeweler  has  a  complete  assortment 
of  paper  boxes,  all  covered  with  light  blue  embossed 
paper,  and  all  lined  with  white  satin  paper,  those  for 
rings,  pins,  etc.,  having  padded  rests  formed  of  white 
satin.  The  name-card  of  the  jeweler  is  die  stamped 
in  bronze  blue  ink  on  the  lids,  or  wrappers  for  the 
lids.  The  color  effect  is  very  pleasing.  The  wrappers 
for  lids  of  jewelry  boxes  are  die  stamped  or  printed 
with  the  card  of  the  jeweler  before  being  pasted  to 
the  lids. 

Jewelry  boxes  seldom  have  extension  edges.  These 
with  shoulders,  or  necks,  are  made  in  about  the  same 
way  as  the  druggists'  pill  and  powder  boxes,  a  de- 
scription of  the  construction  work  having  been  given 
in  another  chapter  of  this  series  of  articles.  The 
set-up  box  is  made  from  a  single  piece  of  boxboard, 
lined  with  white  glazed  paper,  cornered,  stayed  and 
covered  with  colored,  glazed,  white,  watered  or  em- 
bossed paper. 

GARTER,     SUSPENDER,     HANDKERCHIEF,     NECKTIE  AND 
COLLAR  BUTTON  BOXES. 

All  paper  boxes  of  this  class  are  made  on  the 
plain,  set-up  pattern,  the  lids  extending  down  over 

io6 


SUSPENDER  AND  HANDKERCHIEF  BOXES 


the  sides.  For  example,  a  garter  box  is  made  from 
one  piece  of  light-weight  boxboard,  cornered,  stayed 
and  covered  with  white  glazed  paper,  while  the  lid  is 
covered  with  a  printed  or  lithographed  wrapper  in- 
scribed with  the  particular  name  of  the  garter.  We 
refer  to  the  well-known  brands  of  men's  garters.  Many 
of  these  garter  boxes  contain  holiday  wrappers  (for 
Christmas  gifts)  handsomely  done  in  bright  colors, 
and  the  lids  have  thumb-holes  at  two  sides  so  that 
they  may  be  easily  lifted. 

Many  garter,  suspender,  necktie  and  collar  button 
boxes  are  fitted  with  cut-out  inserts  for  holding  the 
contents  attractively.  These  cut-outs  are  of  light- 
weight folding  cardboard  and  are  produced  on  cutting 
and  creasing  presses. 

Suspender,  handkerchief  and  necktie  boxes  are 
often  covered  with  fancy  colored  wrappers  suitable  for 
the  holiday  trade.  The  designs  on  the  wrappers  are 
printed  or  lithographed,  and  are  usually  applied  to  the 
lids  of  the  boxes  with  the  aid  of  wrapping  machines. 
Some  are  loose-wrapped,  others  are  tight-wrapped. 
Not  a  few  fine  handkerchief  boxes  are  covered  with 
colored  or  embossed  paper,  and  hand-painted  designs 
appear  on  the  lids.  The  stock  for  handkerchief,  neck- 
tie and  suspender  boxes  is  usually  lined  with  plain 
white  paper  before  being  made  up.  There  is  an  in- 
creasing demand  for  better  quality  boxes  of  this  va- 
riety. 

CIGARETTE  BOXES. 

Numerous  brands  of  cigarettes  of  the  better  qual- 
107 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


ity  are  packed  in  paper  boxes  of  the  set-up  style,  and 
the  Hds  in  most  cases  are  hinged  to  the  boxes,  the 
hinge  being  formed  of  tape  or  linen.  Cigarette  boxes 
of  this  type  are  usually  made  of  light-weight  boxboard, 
and  are  equipped  with  shoulders.  The  inner  side  of 
the  boxboard  is  lined  with  white  paper,  and  the  stock 
is  then  scored  and  cut  so  as  to  form  long,  oblong 
strips  after  being  folded  and  stayed.  The  strips  are 
then  ''chopped''  up  into  small  sections  of  the  essential 
sizes  to  make  the  sides  for  the  boxes  and  lids.  The 
shoulders  for  the  boxes  are  made  in  the  same  way. 
The  blanks  for  the  bottoms  of  the  boxes  and  for  the 
tops  of  the  lids  are  cut  to  size  on  a  rotary  cutting  ma- 
chine, although  it  is  possible  to  cut  the  blanks,  from 
small  piles  of  full-size  sheets,  on  a  regular  paper  cut- 
ting machine,  but  for  the  sake  of  accuracy  blanks 
of  this  kind  should  be  produced  on  a  rotary  cutter. 

After  the  top  and  bottom  pieces  have  been  inserted, 
the  boxes  and  lids  are  covered  with  white  or  colored 
glazed  paper.  The  shoulders,  or  necks,  are  then  put 
in  the  boxes.  Printed  or  lithographed  labels  are  put 
on  the  inside  as  well  as  on  the  outside  of  the  lids. 

When  the  boxes  are  to  be  hinged,  the  hinging  ma- 
terial is  applied  to  the  box  and  lid,  on  the  inner  sides, 
before  the  shoulder  pieces  are  set  in  the  boxes. 

Many  cigarette  boxes  (not  folding  boxes)  are 
made  on  the  same  plan  as  the  larger  size  set-up  boxes, 
the  box  and  lid  being  cut  from  single  pieces  of  card- 
board ;  creased,  cornered,  folded  and  stayed  in  the 

1 08 


STOCKING  BOXES  IN  DEMAND 


usual  manner,  but  when  boxes  that  are  made  this  way 
have  shoulders,  the  register  of  the  box  and  lid  is  not 
as  accurate  as  in  the  case  of  the  box  and  lid  being 
made  from  long  folded  sections. 

STOCKING  BOXES. 

Great  quantities  of  paper  boxes  are  continually 
being  consumed  in  the  stocking  industry  for  packing 
the  stockings  in  convenient  lots  for  the  trade. 
The  average  box  contains  half  a  dozen  pairs  of 
hose,  or  stockings,  and  often  the  retail  dealer  gives 
the  box  to  the  buyer  of  half  a  dozen  pairs,  which 
means  that  a  box  of  this  kind  should  be  of  good  qual- 
ity and  attractive  to  some  extent. 

Stocking  boxes  are  all  of  the  set-up  type.  Some 
have  shoulders,  others  are  on  the  telescopic  pattern, 
some  are  made  with  ordinary  lids.  The  stock  is  us- 
ually lined  with  white  paper.  The  covering  is  often 
done  with  colored  glazed  paper.  In  some  instances, 
the  edges  of  the  lids  and  boxes  are  trimmed  with 
paper  of  another  color.  Sometimes  fancy  laces  are 
placed  in  fine  stocking  boxes.  The  label  of  the  stock- 
ing manufacturer  is  placed  on  one  end  of  the  box. 

When  putting  on  the  lids  of  finished  stocking 
boxes,  or  in  fact,  when  placing  on  the  lids  of  any  ob- 
long boxes,  the  operator  can  save  time  by  setting 
on  the  lid  over  the  narrow  way  of  the  box,  rather 
than  by  placing  the  lid  over  the  long  way  of  the  box. 

OYSTER  AND  ICE  CREAM  BOXES. 

Some  concerns  are  making  a  specialty  of  ice  cream 
109 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


and  oyster  boxes,  and  special  automatic  machines  are 
used  for  printing,  scoring  and  cutting  the  boxes  to  the 
required  specifications.  Oyster  and  ice  cream  boxes 
are  made  from  Manila  tag-board,  and  the  inner  side 
of  the  board  is  given  a  coating  of  sodium  silicate 
(liquid  glass)  so  as  to  make  the  boxes  ''water  tight'' 
to  a  considerable  extent.  Boxes  of  this  class  may 
be  produced  on  cutting  and  creasing  presses,  with  dies 
made  of  steel  cutting  and  creasing  rules,  but  as  stated, 
this  work  is  usually  done  on  special  machines  having 
great  speed  capacity.  An  oyster  box  is  glued  and 
folded  together,  while  an  ice  cream  box  is  usually 
wire-stitched  at  the  sides,  and  is  equipped  with  a 
handle  of  tape.  Oyster  pails,  and  paper  dishes  are 
also  wire  stitched.  We  refer  to  paper  dishes  used  by 
grocers  for  holding  loose  jelly,  pepper  sauce,  lard,  etc. 
The  oyster  pails  have  wire  handles.  These  specialties 
offer  a  big  field  for  the  box  maker  who  may  also  in- 
clude milk  bottle  tops  in  this  line. 

SUIT,  HAT  AND  FLOWER  BOXES. 

There  is  a  promising  field  for  numerous  box  mak- 
ers who  would  care  to  specialize  in  the  manufacture 
of  suit,  hat  and  flower  boxes.  We  refer  to  folding 
boxes  of  this  variety  which  are  made  with  lock  corners 
and  slits,  and  which  may  be  produced  from  single 
pieces  of  box  board  in  a  very  simple  manner.  The 
Hobbs  Creasing  Machine,  and  the  Hobbs  Lock  Cor- 
ner Cutter,  have  been  especially  built  for  this  work. 
On  these  devices  the  blank  stock  is  creased  and  cut 


no 


GRAINING  BOARD  FOR  SUIT  BOXES 


in  such  a  way  that  both  the  lids  and  boxes  may  easily 
be  folded  together  without  staying,  gluing  or  wire 
stitching. 

Plain  suit,  hat  and  flower  boxes  are  made  from 
folding  Manila  boxboard  and  practically  all  of  the 
plain  boxes  are  made  on  the  telescopic  pattern.  No 
covering  is  done. 

GRAINING  BOARD  FOR  SUIT,  HAT  AND  FLOWER 
BOXES,  ETC. 

Handsome  effects  are  produced  by  graining  box- 
board  for  suit,  hat  and  flower  boxes,  etc.  Jute  or 
Manila  is  generally  used  when  graining  is  done. 
Charles  Beck  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  supply  a 
Rotary  Printing  Machine  which  has  been  designed 
for  producing  various  kinds  of  graining.  This  device 
is  equipped  with  an  intaglio  printing  roller,  inking 
rollers,  fountain,  feed-board,  etc.,  and  the  sheets  of 
boxboard  are  printed  by  the  intaglio  process  on  the 
order  of  this  illustration : 


Example  of  Box  Board  Graining, 
III 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Different  patterns  of  graining,  imitation  alligator- 
skin  and  other  designs  can  be  produced  on  the  Beck 
machine  by  changing  the  intaglio  cylinders  which  con- 
tain the  patterns  engraved  below  the  surface  of  the 
cylinders.  The  printing  cylinder  is  first  inked  all  over, 
some  of  the  ink  depositing  in  the  engraved  places  on 
the  cylinder.  The  surface  of  the  cylinder  is  then  wiped 
clean,  leaving  the  ink  in  the  engraved  places.  The  im- 
pression in  the  printing  transfers  the  design  in  the 
cylinder  to  the  sheet  of  boxboard — steel  plate  print- 
ing, as  it  were. 

Large  size  suit  and  hat  boxes  are  also  made  with 
the  corners  folded  in  and  the  ends  of  the  boxes  folded 
over,  held  firmly  together  by  means  of  heavy  wire 
staples.  Boxes  and.  lids  of  this  kind  are  made  from 
single  pieces  of  jute  boxboard,  the  blanks  properly 
creased  on  a  creasing  machine  so  that  they  will  fold 
readily  into  form.  These  boxes  are  usually  of  the 
telescopic  pattern ;  are  comparatively  cheap,  and  are 
strong  enough  to  withstand  hard  service. 

ROUND   HAT  BOXES. 

Milliners  and  hatters  dealing  in  the  better  grades 
of  hats  are  large  consumers  of  round  and  oval  hat 
boxes.  Some  of  the  fine  millinery  boxes  are  covered 
with  fancy  embossed,  colored  or  striped  paper,  and 
these  are  presented  to  the  buyers  of  the  hats.  The 
square-shaped  hat  boxes,  however,  are  the  most  pop- 
ular on  account  of  their  lower  cost,  and  of  course 
they  are  just  as  useful  as  the  round  and  oval  boxes. 

112 


ROUND  AND  OVAL  HAT  BOXES 


The  round  or  oval  hat  box  is  formed  of  a  side- 
piece  and  a  set-in  bottom-piece,  the  Hd  being  made 
on  the  same  plan.  The  side-piece,  after  being  stayed 
at  the  two  ends  (on  the  inner  side)  is  placed  on  a 
round  or  oval  form.  The  bottom-piece  is  then  set  in. 
The  turned-in  edges  of  the  covering  paper  serve  to 
hold  the  side  and  the  bottom  of  the  box  together. 
After  the  sides  of  the  lid  have  been  covered,  and  the 
edges  of  the  covering  paper  turned  in,  a  round,  or 
oval  piece  of  covering  paper  is  pasted  to  the  top  of 
the  lid. 

SUIT  CASES  AND  TRAVELING  BAGS. 

Several  of  the  larger  paper  box  manufacturing 
concerns  are  making  suit  cases  and  traveling  bags 
as  a  side  line  in  addition  to  the  regular  lines  of  paper 
boxes.  These  suit  cases  and  traveling  bags  are  of 
the  lower-priced  variety,  no  genuine  leather  entering 
into  their  production.  The  inside  of  the  cases  and 
bags  is  of  heavy  chip-board,  lined  with  leatherette 
paper.  The  outside  is  covered  with  heavy  ''leather- 
oid."  Iron  frames  are  essential  in  the  cases,  and  the 
material  is  held  together  with  copper  or  brass  rivets. 
This  is  a  specialty  line  which  should  have  the  con- 
sideration of  many  other  boxmakers  who  have  plants 
equipped  for  the  production  of  such  work. 

POCKET  CIGAR  CASES. 

Many  cigar  dealers  furnish  customers  buying  loose 
cigars  with  paper  cases  for  protecting  the  ''smokes" 
while  held  in  the  coat  pocket.    These  cigar  cases  are 

113 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


made  of  single  pieces  of  Manila  board,  round  corner- 
ed, and  folded  so  as  to  form  a  holder.  The  sides  are 
formed  of  strips  of  heavy  paper,  glued  on  the  inner 
edges  of  the  Manila  stock,  and  folded  so  as  to  allow 
for  expansion  when  the  cigars  are  inserted  in  the 
case.  One  long  and  narrow  piece  of  Manila  tag- 
board,  folded  in  the  center,  and  two  narrow  strips  of 
Manila  paper,  each  strip  containing  a  center  fold,  make 
the  cigar  case  complete. 

Any  boxmaker  is  in  a  position  to  manufacture 
paper  cigar  cases  of  this  kind.  The  stock  can  be  cut 
to  the  necessary  sizes  on  an  ordinary  paper  cutter, 
and  the  round  cornering  can  be  done  on  a  regular 
round  cornering  machine.  No  creasing-work  is  es- 
sential, as  all  of  the  folding  can  easily  be  done  with- 
out any  creasing.  The  sides  of  the  cigar  cases  may 
be  imprinted  with  the  names  of  retail  tobacco  dealers 
distributing  them,  or  with  the  names  of  cigar  manu- 
facturers who  supply  the  cases  gratis  to  the  dealers. 
The  cases  may  be  made  and  sold  in  large  quantities. 

BOXES  FOR  HARDWARE,  GLASS,  PICTURE  FRAMES,  TOOLS, 
TOYS,  ETC. 

There  is  always  a  strong  demand  for  plain,  com- 
mon-grade paper  boxes,  made  on  the  set-up  pattern, 
for  holding  hardware,  glass,  picture  frames,  tools, 
toys,  books  and  any  other  things  which  do  not  call 
for  high-grade  boxes.  Plain  boxes  of  this  variety 
should  be  made  of  heavy-weight  chip-board,  news- 
board  or  straw-board,  and  the  corners  should  be  stayed 


114 


BOXES  FOR  HARDWARE,  GLASS,  ETC. 


with  tape  or  wire  stitched.  The  creased  edges  of  the 
boxes  and  Hds  are  often  stayed  on  the  outer  sides  with 
the  ordinary  brown  staying  paper  so  as  to  prevent 
breakage  of  the  boxes  and  Hds  at  the  places  where 
creased.  No  covering  of  any  kind  is  necessary.  Paper 
boxes  of  this  class  may  be  made  up  during  slack  sea- 
sons, and  they  always  find  a  ready  market,  especially 
when  they  are  moderately  priced. 


115 


CHAPTER  VIII 


CUTTING  AND  CREASING  FOLDING  BOXES. 

NE   of   the  most   important  branches   of  the 


paper  box  industry  is  that  devoted  exclusive- 
ly to  the  making  of  all  kinds  of  folding  boxes  and 
cartons,  and  this  branch  of  the  business  has  been 
growing  wonderfully  during  the  last  few  decades. 
The  manufacturers  of  folding  boxes  are  in  a  class 
by  themselves,  and  as  a  general  rule,  they  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  the  making  of  set-up  paper  boxes,  al- 
though some  of  the  larger  plants  are  producing  both 
folding  boxes  and  set-up  boxes. 

There  are  good  reasons  why  it  would  not  be  ad- 
visable for  the  average  box  maker  to  handle  both 
folding  boxes  and  set-up  boxes  in  his  factory,  and 
the  principal  reason  is  the  matter  of  mechanical  equip- 
ment. The  folding  box  plant  must  be  equipped  with 
machinery  which  cannot  be  used  for  the  production 
of  set-up  boxes,  and  in  a  like  manner,  the  set-up  paper 
box  plant  calls  for  machines  that  cannot  be  used  for 
the  manufacture  of  folding  boxes.  Another  fact  to 
consider  is  that  operators  on  folding  boxes  are  usually 
skilled  only  in  that  line  of  work,  while  operators  on 
set-up  boxes  know  but  little  about  the  work  on  fold- 
ing boxes. 


117 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Henry  Ford,  the  automobile  king,  declares  that 
specializing  is  the  main  reason  for  his  great  success 
in  business.    Says  Mr.  Ford: 

''Any  manufacturer  or  merchant,  to  be  success- 
ful, must  specialize.  Do  one  thing.  Do  it  well.  Sell 
at  one  standard  price— and  you're  just  bound  to  suc- 
ceeed." 


Tooth  Pick  Car- 
ton. No  gluing 
required.  Holds 
together  when 
folded. 


Plain  lines  repre- 
sent steel  cut- 
ting rules. 

Dotted  lines  rep- 
resent  steel 
creasing  rules. 


i  1 

/ — ]  1 

^ 

1 

There  should  be  a  ''tip''  here  for  many  a  box 
manufacturer. 

Folding  boxes  are  now  being  used  for  holding 

ii8 


EQUIPMENT  REQUIRED  FOR  PLANT 


a  great  variety  of  merchandise  such  as,  for  example, 
bottles  containing  medicines,  cakes  of  soap,  toothpicks, 
tubes  of  tooth  paste,  bottles  of  perfume,  many  different 
kinds  of  drugs,  brushes,  cough  drops,  cakes  and  crack- 
ers, safety  razor  blades,  powders  of  various  kinds, 
tools,  grass  seed,  herbs,  dried  raisins,  butter,  spices, 
rice,  sugar,  absorbent  cotton,  bandages,  etc.  This  list 
gives  merely  an  idea  of  the  many  different  uses  for 
folding  boxes,  and  it  would  be  possible  to  add  to  this 
list  hundreds  of  other  articles  which  are  packed  in 
paper  cartons.  The  drug  trade  alone  uses  great  quan- 
tities of  the  smaller-size  folding  boxes  for  holding 
pills,  tablets,  medical  goods,  etc.  Countless  numbers 
of  the  larger  size  cartons  are  used  for  holding  cereals, 
cake,  tea,  dozen  lots  of  cigarette  packages,  dry  goods, 
etc. 

A  folding  box,  or  carton,  is  made  from  a  single 
piece  of  cardboard,  cut  and  scored  in  such  a  manner 
that  it  may  easily  be  folded  and  glued  together  so  as 
to  form  a  complete  box.  The  cutting  and  creasing 
dies  are  made  by  the  box  maker,  from  steel  cutting 
and  creasing  rules.  The  blank  sheets  of  stock  are 
cut  and  creased,  with  the  steel  dies,  on  either  platen 
presses  of  cylinder  presses.  The  cut  out  sheets  are 
then  glued  together  at  two  ends  on  a  gluing  machine. 

EQUIPMENT  REQUIRED  FOR  A  SMALL  CUTTING  AND 
CREASING  PLANT. 

One  Cutting  and  Creasing  Press,  size  of  platen, 
14x22  inches. 


119 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


One  Cutting  and  Creasing  Press,  size  of  platen, 
21x30  inches. 

One  Steel  Rule  Bending  Machine. 

One  Steel  Rule  Cutter. 

One  Power  Circular  Saw. 

One  Power  Jig  Saw. 

One  Imposing  Table. 

One  Power  Gluing  Machine. 

Supply  of  Cherry  and  Black  Walnut  Board,  in 
strips  of  various  widths  for  blanking  out  large  steel 
dies. 

Supply  of  Laminated  Wood  for  holding  Steel 
Cutting  Rules  in  Odd-Shaped  Dies,  such  as  Circles, 
Ovals,  Hearts,  etc. 

Supply  of  Labor-saving  Wood,  Lead,  Steel  and 
Iron  Furniture,  in  assorted  sizes,  for  blanking  out 
space  in  Steel  Dies. 

Supply  of  Steel  (Hard)  Cutting  Rule,  in  full- 
length  strips. 

Supply  of  Steel  (Soft)  Cutting  Rule,  in  full- 
length  strips. 

Supply  of  Steel  Scoring  Rule,  in  full-length  strips. 

Cabinets  for  holding  Furniture. 

Work  Table,  fitted  with  vise  for  bending  Soft 
Steel  Cutting  Rule. 

Supply  of  Corks  in  assorted  sizes. 

Supply  of  Cork  in  strips. 

LePage  (or  fish)  Glue  for  make-ready  on  presses. 
Box-Makers'   Glue    for   gluing   Folding  Boxes 
on  Gluing  Machine. 

120 


KINDS  OF  STOCK  USED 


Set  of  tools,  including  Pliers,  Files,  Hammer, 
Mallet,  T-Square,  L-Square  and  Steel  Straight-Edge. 

With  this  equipment,  the  box  maker  would  be 
in  a  position  to  make  all  kinds  of  steel  cutting  and 
creasing  dies  for  every  variety  of  folding  boxes,  also 
all  shapes  of  steel  cutting  dies  for  cut-outs  of  adver- 
tising novelties,  cardboard  fans,  odd  shapes  for  fancy 
boxes,  etc.  With  this  equipment,  the  box  maker  could 
also  manufacture  all  sizes  and  all  styles  of  folding 
boxes  up  to  those  requiring  blanks  of  cardboard  as 
large  as  20x28  inches.  It  is  the  writer's  purpose  to 
explain  all  the  technical  work  necessary  in  the  making 
of  the  steel  dies,  made-ready  on  the  presses,  and  other 
practical  work  relating  to  the  making  of  folding  boxes, 
cartons,  advertising  novelties  and  so  forth,  and  if  this 
information  is  carefully  studied  and  followed,  the  ap- 
prentice in  box  making  should  have  no  difficulty  in 
producing  all  of  the  work  in  question. 

KIND  OF  PAPER  STOCK  USED  FOR  FOLDING  BOXES. 

The  ordinary  news-board,  chip-board  and  straw- 
board,  such  as  used  for  the  manufacture  of  set-up 
boxes,  is  not  adapted  to  folding  boxes  for  the  reason 
that  these  boards  have  a  tendency  to  break  when  fold- 
ed. The  stock  used  for  folding  boxes  includes  Manila 
tag-board,  bristol-board,  clay  coated  Manila,  Manila- 
lined  board,  and  other  kinds  of  pasted  boards  which 
are  tough  and  flexible.  Coated  box-board  comes  in 
white,  colors  and  tints.  One  side  is  coated  in  white, 
color  or  tint,  the  other  side  being  of  Manila.  When 


121 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


the  box  is  to  be  printed,  the  printing  is  done  on  the 
coated  side.  This  stock  comes  500  sheets  in  a  ream, 
size  223^x28^,  the  weight  running  from  90  pounds 
to  200  pounds  per  ream.  This  stock  also  comes  in 
rolls,  and  may  be  run  in  rolls  on  rotary  printing 
presses. 

Among  the  well  known  firms  who  supply  folding 
box-board  of  all  kinds,  are  the  following:  A.  Hart- 
ung  &  Company,  of  Philadelphia ;  Berton  C.  Hill  Com- 
pany, of  New  York  City;  Baird  &  Bartlett  Company, 
of  Boston,  Mass. ;  C.  L.  LaBoiteaux  Company,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Chicago,  Cleveland  and  New  York  City,  and 
the  White  Pigeon  Coated  Paper  Company,  of  White 
Pigeon,  Mich. 

MAKING  THE  ''dUMMY"  FOR  A  FOLDING  BOX. 

The  ''dummy,"  or  pattern,  for  a  folding  box  is 
the  first  requisite.  For  example,  a  carton  is  wanted 
for  holding  a  glass  jar  of  cold  cream.  If  any  printed 
matter,  such  as  a  booklet,  directions  for  using  the 
cold  cream,  etc.,  is  to  be  packed  with  the  jar,  inside 
the  carton,  this  must  be  considered  when  determining 
the  size  of  the  folding  box. 

Attach  the  printed  matter  to  the  jar,  held  with 
rubber  bands.  Then  place  two  blocks  of  wood  on 
either  side  of  the  jar,  the  blocks  and  jar  standing  on 
a  table.  The  blocks  should  stand  close  to  the  jar 
and  its  printed  matter.  Now  lay  a  ruler  across  the 
jar  and  blocks,  and  the  ruler  will  give  the  dimensions 
for  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  box.    Next,  lay  the  jar 


122 


MAKING  A  DUMMY  FOR  A  CARTON 


on  its  side,  and  set  the  two  blocks  at  the  top  and 
bottom  of  the  jar.  Span  the  ruler  across  the  blocks. 
This  will  give  the  dimensions  for  the  height  of  the 
box.  This  same  method  is  used  in  taking  the  meas- 
urements for  all  kinds  of  boxes. 

By  opening  flat  some  carton  which  is  nearly  the 
size  and  style  of  the  new  carton  desired,  the  box  maker 
will  have  an  idea  of  the  layout  for  the  die  which 
will  be  necessary  for  the  new  carton.  Follow  the 
measurements  taken  with  the  aid  of  the  blocks,  and 
with  pencil,  ruler,  penknife  and  blank  sheet  of  stock, 
make  up  a  dummy  for  the  desired  folding  box.  When 
completed,  the  flat  dummy  will  appear  like  this  dia- 
gram : 


VJ 

This  dummy  will  serve  the  box  maker  in  meas- 
uring ofif  the  sizes  of  steel  cutting  and  creasing  rule 
which  will  enter  in  the  construction  of  the  die.  Be- 
fore attempting  to  describe  the  building  of  the  steel 
die,  however,  the  writer  believes  that  it  would  be  well 
to  give  details  about  the  furniture  and  other  material 


123 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


used  in  the  building  of  the  die,  so  that  the  reader  will 
become  familiar  with  this  material  as  it  is  handled  in 
the  proper  order.  Later  on  complete  information  will 
be  given  about  the  construction  of  the  die,  the  make- 
ready  of  the  forms  on  the  presses,  ^'corking,''  strip- 
ing, and  so  on. 

KINDS  OF  FURNITURE  USED  IN  MAKING  DIES  FOR  FOLD- 
ING BOXES. 

Cherry,  or  black  walnut,  is  excellent  material  for 
blanking  out  large  steel  dies,  as  cherry  and  black  wal- 
nut are  woods  which  are  not  greatly  affected  by  at- 
mospheric changes.  A  soft  wood,  like  white  pine, 
for  example,  would  readily  take  moisture  in  damp 
weather,  expanding  enough  to  throw  the  rules  in  a 
die  out  of  register  with  the  make-ready  on  the  press, 
and  this  would  mean  damage  to  the  make-ready  as 
well  as  changes  in  the  sizes  of  the  boxes  which  are 
being  cut  out.  The  Cherry  Lumber  Company,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, O.,  supplies  first  class  cherry  and  black  wal- 
nut wood  in  strips,  and  from  these  strips  the  box 
maker  may  cut  the  pieces  of  blanking-out  furniture 
to  the  sizes  required  for  the  steel  die.  This  wood 
is  about  11-16  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  which  is  the 
right  height  to  hold  the  steel  cutting  and  creasing 
rules  firmly  in  a  vertical  position,  and  on  extremely 
heavy  forms  it  would  prevent  possible  bending  of  the 
rules.  The  box  maker  uses  a  power  circular  saw  in 
cutting  this  wood  to  the  wanted  sizes.  The  sawing 
must  be  done  truly  vertical,  as  even  a  slight  angle 


124 


KINDS  OF  FURNITURE  USED 


on  the  end  or  side  of  a  piece  of  wood  furniture  would 
cause  the  rule  coming  in  contact  with  that  end  or  side 
to  have  the  same  angle,  resulting  in  that  rule  cutting 
lower  than  another  rule  which  was  absolutely  true, 
vertically,  and  it  would  also  affect  the  face-size  of 
the  die  to  some  extent.  This  means  that  no  furni- 
ture for  die-blanks  should  be  cut  with  a  hand  saw,  as 
hand  sawing  is  seldom  accurate. 


Showing  one  of  the  New  Style  Imposing  Tables;  iron  top.  Equipped 
with  complete  fonts  of  wood  furniture  for  locking-  up  forms. 
Also  has  racks  for  holding  forms,  or  chases. 


The  box  maker  saves  the  pieces  of  cherry  and 
black  walnut,  when  old  dies  are  broken  up,  and  these 
pieces  of  wood  are  used  again  in  building  other  dies. 

Steel,  iron  and  lead  labor-saving  furniture  is  also 
largely  used  in  the  construction  of  steel  dies,  and  in 
many  instances,  series  of  small  dies  for  drug  cartons, 
etc.,  are  entirely  blanked  out  with  labor-saving  lead 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


or  iron  furniture.  What  is  called  ''improved  metal 
furniture"  (lead)  in  the  printing  trade  is  very  use- 
ful for  the  box  maker.  This  furniture  comes 
in  many  different  sizes — standard  sizes — and  is 
stored  in  cabinets  which  have  compartments 
ments  for  each  size.  Within  a  short  time  the  box 
maker  becomes  familiar  with  the  standard  sizes,  and 
when  blanking  out  a  die  he  can  tell  at  a  glance  what 
sizes  of  metal  furniture  are  needed  to  fill  in  the  blank 
places.  The  sizes  of  this  improved  metal  furniture 
are  known  as  "2x4  ems/'  (pica)  ;  ''3x4  ems/'  (pica), 
and  so  on  up  to  the  larger  sizes.  Often,  the  smaller 
sizes  of  metal  furniture  are  used  in  conjunction  with 
larger  sizes  of  cherry  or  black  walnut  wood  to  fill 
in  the  blank  places  of  spacious  dies. 

STEEL  FURNITURE  USED. 

Steel  sectional  furniture,  notched  at  the  ends,  is 
also  used  for  building  spacious  steel  dies.  This  steel 
furniture  (as  well  as  the  iron  and  lead  furniture) 
may  be  bought  in  regular  fonts,  or  complete  sets,  from 
the  American  Type  Founders'  Company,  Jersey  City, 
N.  J.,  or  from  any  of  the  printers'  supply  houses. 
These  concerns  also  supply  the  cabinets  for  holding 
the  furniture  conveniently.  For  the  information  of 
those  not  acquainted  with  the  printing  terms,  it  is 
explained  that  the  term  ''point"  in  printing  means  72 
points  to  an  inch.  The  steel  sectional  furniture  comes 
in  24-point  width  with  12-point  notches  at  the  ends; 
36-point  wide  with  i8-point  notches;  48-point  wide 


126 


LABOR  SAVING  METAL  FURNITURE 


with  three  12-point  notches;  and  54-point  wide  with 
tzvo  i8-point  notches.  It  also  comes  in  a  full  range  of 
lengths,  all  the  way  up  to  24  inches  long. 


Showing-  Style  of  Patent  Steel  Furniture  with  interlocking 
corners  for  forming  hollow  squares  and  oblongs. 


With  four  pieces  of  this  sectional  furniture  al- 
most any  size  square  or  oblong  frame,  up  to  24  inches, 
may  be  formed  simply  by  putting  the  four  pieces  to- 
gether. The  frame  is  used  for  blanking  out  a  square 
or  oblong  space  in  the  die-form.  At  times  several 
squares  and  oblongs  can  be  made  in  this  way  and 
used  instead  of  wood  blocks  or  small  pieces  of  metal 


127 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


furniture.  The  steel  sectional  furniture  is  absolutely 
accurate  and  it  can  be  assembled  very  rapidly. 


"Challeng-e"  Improved  Labor-Saving  Metal  Furniture, 
with  Chamfered  Edges. 


Plain  iron  furniture  is  to  be  had  in  a  large  num- 
ber of  standard  sizes,  but  the  smaller  sizes  are  used 
by  many  box  makers  for  blanking  out  portions  of  steel 
dies,  the  larger  spaces  in  the  form  being  filled  in  with 
blocks  of  cherry  or  black  walnut.  The  iron  furniture 
is  comparatively  inexpensive,  and  it  will  stand  hard 
service  for  a  life-time. 

Enlarged  iron  furniture  comes  in  many  different 


Showing-  style  of  Morganb  &  Wilcox  Enlarged  Iron  Furniture. 

128 


MAMMOTH  IRON  FURNITURE 


sizes  and  is  particularly  adapted  to  blanking  out  extra- 
large  dies.  The  larger  sizes  of  this  material,  such  as 
for  example,  25x100  ems  (pica),  are  very  popular 
with  die-makers.  In  each  piece  of  enlarged  iron  fur- 
niture are  two  round  holes,  on  the  top  so  to  speak, 
enabling  the  die-maker  to  handle  the  piece  of  furniture 
easily  by  means  of  the  round  holes.  (Pica  means  12 
points  in  printing  parlance.) 

Mammoth  iron  furniture  is  made  on  the  order  of 
enlarged  iron  furniture,  and  it  comes  in  pieces  as 
large  as  60x120  ems  (pica.)  Round  holes  are  in  each 
piece,  making  it  light  in  weight  and  easy  to  handle. 
Special  cabinets  are  furnished  for  the  enlarged  and 
mammoth  furniture.  The  cabinets  are  subdivided  for 
holding  the  different  sizes  of  material,  and  by  looking 
over  the  contents  of  these  compartments,  the  die-build- 


"Challenge"  Labor-Saving-  Iron  Furnitures. 


129 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


er  can  see  exactly  what  sizes  of  furniture  is  available 
to  suit  the  requirements  of  each  die.  The  cabinets 
save  a  great  deal  of  time,  as  the  die-maker  does  not 


Showing  Cabinet  holding  font  of  No.   3   Mammoth  Iron  Furniture. 
Opposite  side  of  Cabinet  holds  other  sizes  of  Mammoth 
Iron  Furniture.     This  Cabinet  also  holds  all  standard 
lengths  of  M.  &  W.  Interlocking  steel  furniture. 

have  to  ''sort  out"  the  furniture  from  a  ''mixed"  as- 
sortment of  sizes. 

In  these  days  of  high  wages  and  short  working 


130 


STEEL  CUTTING  AND  CREASING  RULES 


hours,  the  folding  box  maker  should  have  a  plentiful 
supply  of  both  wood  and  metal  furniture,  and  the  fur- 
niture should  be  systematically  stored  in  cabinets  so 
that  the  die-maker  can  work  to  the  best  advantage. 
A  plentiful  assortment  of  improved  metal  furniture, 
plain  iron  furniture,  and  enlarged  or  mammoth  iron 
furniture,  in  cabinets,  will  pay  big  dividends  in  any 
folding  box  plant. 

STEEL  CUTTING  RULES  AND  STEEL  CREASING  RULES. 

All  dies  used  for  cutting  and  creasing  folding 
boxes  are  constructed  of  steel  cutting  rules  and  steel 
creasing  rules,  and  with  the  proper  material  and  de- 
vices, the  box  maker  will  have  no  difficulty  in  building 
his  own  dies  to  suit  all  requirements. 

The  apprentice  in  the  folding  box  industry  should 
carefully  note  the  fact  that  there  are  two  kinds  of  steel 
cutting  rule — one  kind  is  called  ''hard"  cutting  rule, 
the  other  kind  is  known  as  ''soft"  cutting  rule.  The 
hard  steel  cutting  rule  is  used  for  all  straight-line  die 
work  which  does  not  call  for  the  rules  being  bent 
into  round,  oval  or  odd  shapes.  The  soft  steel  cut- 
ting rule  is  used  in  all  cases  where  rule-bending  is  to 
be  done.  For  example,  a  die  having  round  corners 
for  the  flaps  of  folding  boxes  would  call  for  the  use 
of  soft  cutting  rule  in  forming  the  round  corners.  All 
odd-shaped  dies,  such  as  dies  for  cutting  hearts^  semi- 
circles, ovals,  etc.,  are  made  of  soft  steel  cutting  rule 
on  account  of  the  soft  rule  bending  to  the  special 
shapes  easily.    "Square"  dies  for  cutting  diamonds, 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


oblongs,  crosses,  keystone,  and  other  straight-line  work 
of  this  class,  are  made  of  hard  steel  cutting  rules. 

The  ''hard"  and  ''soft"  steel  cutting  rule,  and  the 
regular  creasing  rule,  comes  in  strips  from  24  to  30 
inches  long,  and  is  sold  by  the  foot.  The  standard 
height  of  steel  cutting  rule  is  .923  in.  The  standard 
height  of  steel  creasing  rule  is  .918  in.  Both  the 
cutting  and  creasing  rules  are  made  in  various  thick- 
nesses, from  2-point  size  up  to  6-point  size,  but  the 
2-point  cutting  and  creasing  rules  will  do  for  the 
greater  portion  of  all  folding  box  work.  The  follow- 
ing list  will  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  standard 
kinds  of  steel  cutting  and  creasing  rules: 


Cutting  Rule 


Scoring  Rule 


No.  Description 

A-10  2-poin't  Hard  Black  Cutting  Rule 

A-11  3-point  Hard  Black  Cutting  Rule 

A-12  4-point  Hard  Black  Cutting  Rule 

A-13  6-point  Hard  Black  Cutting  Rule 

A-14  2-point  Hard  and  Polished  Ctg.  Rule 

A-15  3-point  Hard  and  Polished  Ctg.  Rule 

A-16  4-point  Hard  and  Polished  Ctg.  Rule 

A-17  6-point  Hard  and  Polished  Ctg.  Rule 

A-18  2-point  Soft  Cutting  Rule 

A-19  2-point  Hard  Scoring  Rule 


Height  Thickness 


.923" 
.923" 
.923" 
.923" 
.923" 
.923" 
.923" 
.923" 
.923" 
.918" 


.029" 
.042" 
.057" 
.083" 
.029" 
.042" 
.057" 
.083'' 
.029" 
.029" 


The  Simonds  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Fitch- 
burg,  Mass.,  is  a  large  manufacturer  of  all  varieties 


132 


A  DIE-MAKER'S  WORK  BENCH 


of  steel  rule  for  cutting,  scoring  or  perforating.  This 
concern  is  in  a  position  to  furnish  the  folding  box 
maker  with  any  kind  of  steel  cutting  or  steel  creasing 
rule.  The  American  Type  Founders'  Company,  of 
Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  or  any  of  the  printers'  supply 
houses,  will  also  furnish  the  box  maker  with  steel 
cutting  or  scoring  rule. 

THE  WORK-BENCH  FOR  THE  FOLDING  BOX  MAKER. 

A  good,  substantial  work-bench,  fitted  with  draw- 
ers, tools,  vise,  steel  rule  cutter,  etc.,  is  an  essential 
for  the  folding  box  maker.  The  box  maker  who  is 
''handy"  may  readily  build  his  own  work-bench  with 
the  necessary  lumber,  but  for  the  inform.ation  of  those 
who  may  not  know  about  it,  the  American  Type 
Founders'  Company  has  a  steel  work-bench  which  is 
very  convenient  for  the  purposes  of  a  folding  box 
making  plant.  On  request,  this  company  will  send 
illustrated  circulars  describing  this  steel  work-bench. 

THE  STEEL  RULE  CUTTER  AND  THE  STEEL  RULE  BENDING 
MACHINE. 

While  it  is  possible  for  the  folding  box  maker 
to  cut  steel  rules  to  all  required  sizes  for  dies  on  an 
ordinary  lead  and  rule  cutter,  such  as  is  used  in  a 
printing  office,  nevertheless  the  writer  strongly  ad- 
vises the  installation  of  a  ''Hercules"  Steel  Rule  Cutter 
in  the  folding  box  factory.  This  device  is  made  by 
J.  F.  Helmold  &  Brother,  of  1462  Hamburg  street, 
Chicago.  It  is  especially  built  for  cutting  all  thick- 
nesses of  steel  cutting,  or  steel  scoring  rule,  to  any 
lengths  wanted. 

133 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


If  the  box  maker  desires  to  cut  steel  rule  on  an 
ordinary  printers'  lead  and  rule  cutter,  this  device 
must  be  kept  in  first  class  order,  and  the  cutting  must 
be  done  in  that  part  of  the  machine  which  is  intended 
to  cut  only  heavy  brass  rule. 


The  Multiform  Rule  Bender  is  an  excellent  device 
for  bending  steel  rule.  It  is  made  by  the  J.  A.  Rich- 
ards Co.,  of  Kalamazoo,  Mich.  This  concern  also  makes 
steel  rule  cutters,  combination  rule  benders,  box  mak- 
er's special  saws,  etc. 

The  ''Eureka"  Rule  Press,  or  steel  rule  bender, 
is  another  great  time-saving  device  for  any  folding 


The  "Eureka"  Steel  Rule  Bender. 


134 


WORKING  WITH  HEATED  RULE 


box  factory.  This  machine  is  made  by  J.  F.  Hel- 
mold  &  Brother,  of  Chicago.  This  Rule  Press,  with 
its  equipment  of  molds,  is  capable  of  bending  steel 
rule  to  any  of  the  odd  shapes  required  in  steel  rule 
dies  for  folding  boxes  or  cartons. 

Some  die-makers  do  all  of  the  steel  rule  bending 
with  the  aid  of  a  powerful  vise  and  pliers  of  various 
sizes.  The  steel  cutting  rule  is  heated  by  means  of 
a  gas  flame  so  that  the  rule  may  be  bent  more  easily. 
When  working  with  the  heated  rule  the  die-maker 
wears  heavy  canvas  gloves  to  protect  his  hands  from 
the  hot  rule.  After  the  heated  rule  has  been  bent  to 
the  wanted  shape,  heat  the  rule  again  and  immerse  in 
cod  oil.    This  re-tempers  the  rule. 


CHAPTER  IX 


CUTTING  AND  CREASING  (Continued) 
E  HAVE  now  described  the  machinery  and 


YY  material  which  are  essential  for  a  modern 
cutting  and  creasing  plant,  and  with  these  matters  dis- 
posed of  we  will  next  take  up  the  subjects  of  making 
the  steel  dies,  press-work,  etc. 

MAKING   A   CUTTING   AND   CREASING  DIE 

No  matter  what  shape  or  size  of  a  folding  box  or 
carton  which  may  be  wanted,  it  will  require  both  creas- 
ing and  cutting,  and  this  means  of  course  that  both 
steel  scoring  rules  and  steel  cutting  rules  will  be  need- 
ed in  making  the  die. 

Hard  steel  cutting  rule  is  to  be  used  for  all 
straight  cutting  lines  in  the  die. 

Soft  steel  cutting  rule  is  to  be  used  for  all  round 
corners  or  odd-shaped  sections  of  the  die. 

For  the  average  folding  box  or  carton  2-point 
cutting  and  creasing  rules  will  be  thick  enough  for 
their  functions,  but  in  the  case  of  a  large  die  for  ex- 
ceedingly heavy-weight  box-board,  3-point,  4-point, 
or  6-point  cutting  and  creasing  rules  will  be  found  bet- 
ter for  the  press-work  than  the  2-point  rules. 

The  regular  2-point  cutting  rule,  turned  upside 


137 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


down,  or  inverted,  will  serve  as  scoring  rule,  although 
the  special  scoring  rule,  made  for  this  purpose  by  the 
manufacturers,  will  always  produce  the  best  results 
on  account  of  it  having  a  rounded  face  instead  of  a 
blunt  face. 

On  common-grade  folding-box  work,  when  the 
stock  is  heavy  and  tough,  some  die-makers  use  invert- 
ed cutting  rules  for  scoring  rules — usually  old  cutting 


steel  die  form  from  Simonds  Mfg.  Co. 

rules  which  have  lost  their  sharp  edges  by  long  ser- 
vice in  other  dies.  By  placing  two  2-point  inverted 
cutting  rules  together  a  4-point  crease  is  obtained.  By 
placing  three  2-point  cutting  rules  together  (inverted), 
a  6-point  crease  is  obtained.  Wide  creases  of  this  kind 
are  needed  only  in  heavy  work,  such  as  for  example, 
suit  boxes,  flower  boxes  and  hat  boxes  in  large  sizes. 

A  2-point  crease,  or  rather  a  fine  crease  obtained 
from  standard  2-point  scoring  rule  having  a  rounded 
face,  will  do  well  for  the  great  majority  of  folding 

BUILDING  THE  DIE 

Now  for  the  building  of  the  die,  say  a  die  for 

138 


BUILDING  THE  STEEL  DIE 


cutting  and  creasing  a  carton  for  holding  a  medicine 
bottle:  Take  the  ''dummy,"  or  an  old  carton  of  the  re- 
quired size  and  form,  and  with  the  aid  of  a  foot-ruler 
find  out  the  lengths  and  number  of  pieces  of  rule  which 
will  be  required  for  the  die.   Jot  down  the  figures  upon 


Carton  for  Cough  Drops.  Plain  lines  represent  steel  cutting 
rules.     Dotted  lines  represent  steel  creasing  rules. 


a  tablet.  For  example,  you  will  need  four  long  pieces 
of  2-point  scoring  rule,  all  of  the  same  length ;  four 
short  pieces  of  2-point  scoring  rule,  all  of  the  same 
length ;  then  you  will  need  four  ''L's"  for  cutting  flaps, 

139 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


these  ''L"  pieces  to  have  sHghtly  rounded  corners  and 
to  be  made  from  soft  steel  cutting  rule.  Also  will  be 
needed  two  pieces  of  soft  cutting  rule  which  are  to 
be  bent  in  the  form  of  a  large  ''U,"  these  to  be  used 
for  cutting  the  folding  top  and  folding  bottom  of  the 
carton.  Other  pieces  of  both  scoring  and  cutting  rule 
will  be  needed  to  make  the  die  complete,  and  with 
careful  application  of  the  ruler,  the  correct  lengths 
may  be  ascertained. 

After  all  of  the  various  measurements  of  the 
rules  have  been  taken  and  marked  down  on  the  tablet, 
the  next  step  is  to  cut  the  rules  on  the  steel  rule  cut- 
ter to  the  essential  sizes,  following  the  measurements 
which  have  been  written  down.  The  steel  rule  cut- 
ter is  equipped  with  a  movable  gage  and  this  gage  is 
accurately  set  to  provide  for  the  cutting  of  each  rule. 
A  number  of  the  rules  are  cut  to  the  same  sizes.  Your 
figures  on  the  tablet  should  tell  how  many  pieces  of 
each  size  are  wanted.  It  is  really  a  simple  matter  to 
cut  the  rules,  but  too  much  care  cannot  be  taken  in  do- 
ing the  cutting  accurately. 

The  pieces  of  soft  steel  cutting  rule  which  are  to 
have  rounded  corners  or  odd  shapes  are  now  bent  to 
the  proper  forms  on  a  rule  bending  press,  or  with  the 
aid  of  a  vise.  Extreme  care  should  be  taken  in  bend- 
ing the  rules  in  such  a  way  that  none  of  the  bended 
lines  are  on  an  angle.  In  other  words,  each  ''bend" 
should  be  truly  vertical  so  that  when  the  odd-shaped 
rule  lies  in  the  die  its  cutting  surface  will  be  perfectly 


140 


BLANKING  OUT  THE  STEEL  DIE 


level.  One  of  the  great  advantages  of  the  steel  rule 
bending  press  and  its  molds  is  that  all  rule  bending  on 
this  machine  is  done  perpendicularly  true.  An  experi- 


Steel  die  for  Soap  Container.  Plain  lines  represent  steel  cut- 
ting" rules.     Dotted  lines  represent  steel  scoring  rules. 


enced  die-maker  can  do  wonders  in  rule  bending  with 
an  ordinary  vise  and  a  pair  of  pliers,  but  the  beginner 
will  not  find  this  work  easy. 

141 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


With  all  of  the  required  number  of  pieces  of  cut- 
ting and  creasing  rule  cut  to  sizes  and  bent  to  the 
proper  shapes,  the  next  step  is  to  ''set  up"  the  die  with 
lead,  steel,  or  iron  furniture.    In  the  case  of  a  large- 


) 


steel  die  form  for  Medicine  Bottle  Carton.  Plain  lines  repie- 
sent  steel  cutting-  rules.     Dotted  lines  represent  steel  scoring-  rules. 

size  die,  the  main  blanking-out  is  done  with  black 
walnut  or  cherry  furniture,  but  with  a  small-size  die, 
practically  all  of  the  blanking-out  may  be  done  with 
labor-saving  metal  furniture. 

WORKING  CONDITIONS 

The  die-maker  should  work  upon  the  surface  of 
an  imposing  table.    First,  he  places  on  the  table  the 


142 


LOCKING  UP  THE  STEEL  DIE 


chase  in  which  the  die  is  to  be  locked  up.  Second,  he 
fills  in  the  chase  with  regular  printer's  wood  furniture, 
leaving  space  in  the  center  for  the  die,  and  placing 
locking  quoins  near  the  top  of  the  chase  and  on  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  chase.  Third,  the  cutting  and 
creasing  rules  are  set  in  the  open  space  in  the  center 
of  the  chase,  filling  in  with  metal  or  wood  furniture. 
Fourth,  after  the  die  has  been  carefully  set  and 
blanked  out,  the  entire  job  is  locked  up  with  the  aid  of 
a  quoin-key  and  the  quoins. 

Note  these  points :  Printers'  wood  furniture  is 
not  as  high  as  black  walnut  or  cherry  wood  used  in- 
side the  die,  and  the  printers'  wood  furniture  is  only 
used  as  locking-up  material  on  the  outer  sides  of  the 
die. 

There  are  several  varieties  of  printers'  quoins,  but 
the  best  quoins  for  the  die-maker's  purpose  are  called 
''Hemple  Improved  Quoins."  They  are  of  iron, 
wedge-shaped,  and  contain  ridges  which  make  them 
hold  tightly.  By  inserting  a  quoin-key  between  the 
"teeth"  of  a  pair  of  quoins,  and  turning  the  key  one 
way  or  the  other  way,  the  quoins  are  locked  or  un- 
locked. 

The  quoins  should  not  be  placed  directly  against 
the  sides  of  the  chase,  or  against  the  sides  of  the  wood 
furniture.  Small  strips  of  reglet,  6-points  wide,  placed 
on  either  side  of  each  pair  of  quoins  protects  the  wood 
furniture  from  damage  by  the  quoins,  and  prevents 
loosening  of  the  quoins  at  the  sides  of  the  chase. 


143 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


An  assortment  of  printers'  leads  and  brasses — 2- 
point  leads  and  i -point  brasses,  in  the  smaller  sizes, 
will  be  of  great  utility  to  the  die-maker  in  blanking 
out.  A  lead  or  brass,  inserted  here  and  there  between 
the  furniture  in  the  die,  will  often  solve  intricate  con- 
struction. 


Looks  like  plan  for  a  monoplane,  but  is  layout  for  steel  die 
form  for  small  drug  carton.  Plain  lines  represent  steel  cutting  rules. 
Dotted  lines  represent  steel  creasing-  rules.  As  many  as  24  com- 
plete dies  are  run  together  in  one  large  form. 


The  die  should  be  blanked  out  so  accurately  that 
when  the  quoins  are  tightened  all  material  in  the  die 
will  ''lift"  without  any  of  the  furniture  falling  out. 
After  the  form  has  been  locked  up,  the  die-maker  rests 
one  end  of  the  chase  on  a  block  of  furniture.  He 
then  strikes  the  ends  of  the  fingers  over  all  material 
in  the  die  to  see  if  any  parts  of  the  die  are  loose.  If 
all  holds  firmly,  the  form  is  ready  for  press.  If  any 
parts  are  found  loose,  the  form  is  unlocked,  and  the 


r 


ACCURACY  REQUIRED 


144 


STEEL  DIE  FOR  CUT-OUTS 


loose  places  are  fixed  up  by  inserting  small  strips  of 
manila  paper  between  the  loose  pieces  of  furniture. 

With  the  aid  of  a  straight-edge,  an  L-square,  or 
a  T-square,  the  diemaker  tests  all  lines  of  the  die  to 
ascertain  if  any  rules  are  binding  or  out  of  register. 
All  defects  of  this  nature  must  be  corrected  before  the 
die  goes  to  press. 

Intricate  rule  bending  is  made  more  easy  by  heat- 
ing the  soft  steel  rule  in  a  gas  flame  before  bending. 
When  working  with  heated  rule  the  die-maker  wears 
canvas  gloves  to  protect  his  hands.  To  harden  soft 
rule,  after  bending,  heat  again  and  dip  the  heated  rule 
in  fish  oil. 

MAKING  STEEL  DIES  FOR  ''cUT-OUTS'" 

Some  box-makers,  in  addition  to  manufacturing 
set-up  and  folding  boxes,  also  make  advertising  ''cut- 
outs/' cardboard  fans,  wall-pockets,  fancy  calendars, 
photograph  mounts,  and  ''set-in"  forms  for  holiday 
boxes  for  holding  neckties,  suspenders,  garters,  collar 
buttons,  etc.  Work  of  this  variety  is  also  cut  on  cut- 
ting and  creasing  presses,  but  the  dies  and  make-ready 
are  dififerent  than  the  dies  and  make-ready  for  folding 
boxes. 

Steel  dies  for  all  kinds  of  "cut-outs"  are  made  of 
2-point  cutting  rules.  For  add  shapes  like  hearts,  fans, 
fancy  calendars,  etc.,  "soft"  cutting  rule  is  used.  For 
straight-line  work  such  as  squares,  oblongs,  diamonds, 
keystone  and  triangle,  "hard"  cutting  rule  is  used. 

The  steel  cutting  rules  for  dies  of  this  class  are 


145 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


inserted  in  laminated  board,  of  three,  four  or  more 
plies,  for  the  reason  that  laminated  board  will  not  warp 
or  be  affected  by  atmospheric  conditions. 

The  design,  or  several  different  designs,  which 
are  to  be  cut  out,  are  marked  with  pencil  on  the  surface 


steel  die  form  for  cut-out  from  Simonds  Mfg.  Co, 


of  the  piece  of  laminated  board,  which  must  be  of  a 
size  to  accommodate  the  dies.  These  pencil  lines  are 
then  followed  with  a  jig-saw,  and  in  the  grooves  made 
by  the  saw  the  steel  cutting  rules  are  inserted.  The 
die  is  then  ready  for  press. 

It  should  be  mentioned,  however,  that  it  is  pos- 
sible to  build  a  plain  ''cut-out"  die,  like  a  square  or 
oblong,  merely  by  cutting  the  rules  to  the  proper  sizes 
and  then  blanking  out  the  inside  space  with  metal  or 
ordinary  wood  furniture.  But,  an  odd-shaped  ''cut- 
out" die  should  always  be  inserted  in  laminated  board. 

As  many  as  half-a-dozen  "cut-out"  dies  for  card- 
board fans,  advertising  novelties,  etc.,  may  be  placed  in 
rows  in  the  one  section  of  laminated  board,  and  the  en- 

146 


CUTTING  AND  CREASING  CARTONS 


tire  six  articles  may  be  cut  simultaneously  on  the  press. 

Half-a-dozen  dies  for  folding  boxes,  or  more  than 
this  number,  can  also  be  run  together  in  the  same  form, 
according  to  the  size  of  the  cutting  and  creasing  press. 


CUTTING  AND  CREASING  ON  PLATEN  PRESSES 

Cutting  and  creasing  for  folding  boxes  can  be 
done  successfully  on  platen  printing  presses  of  the 


Hartford  Cutter  and  Creaser 


John  Thompson  and  Hartford  type,  provided  that  a 
printing  press  of  this  type  be  fitted  with  a  steel  platen 
plate,  and  provided  also  that  the  inking  rollers  of  the 
press  be  removed.  The  steel  platen  plate  is  removable, 
and  is  held  to  the  platen  of  the  press  by  means  of 


147 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


counter-sunk  screws.  When  printing  is  to  be  done  on 
the  press  the  platen  plate  is  taken  off. 

The  National  Machine  Company,  of  Hartford, 
Conn.,  and  John  Thompson  Press  Company,  of  New 
York  City,  both  manufacture  standard  cutting  and 
creasing  presses  which  are  built  especially  for  this 
w^ork.  These  presses,  which  are  not  designed  for 
printing  purposes,  are  fitted  with  removable,  steel  plat- 
en plates,  and  by  having  a  number  of  these  platen 
plates,  the  folding  box  maker  can  save  the  makeready, 
or  ''female  dies"  on  the  plates,  and  may  keep  them 
stored  away  for  future  orders  on  the  same  kind  of 
work.  In  saving  such  ''female  dies"  on  the  platen 
plates,  however,  it  would  also  be  essential  to  save  the 
forms  containing  the  steel  cutting  and  creasing  dies 
so  that  all  would  perfectly  register  when  the  dies  and 
plates  are  again  put  on  the  presses. 

MAKING  READY  A  STEEL  CUTTING  AND  CREASING  DIE 

This  applies  to  making  ready  the  die  on  a  regular 
Hartford  or  John  Thomson  cutter  and  creaser,  and  as 
mentioned  before,  the  form  may  have  more  than  one 
duplicate  of  the  same  die^  if  desired.  For  example, 
the  form  may  contain  say  eight  complete  cutting  and 
creasing  dies,  arranged  together  for  cutting  eight  small 
cartons  from  a  single  sheet  of  stock. 

First,  put  on  the  steel  platen  plate,  and  see  that 
it  is  free  from  all  old  makeready  material.  Second, 
take  a  sheet  of  chip-board,  news-board  or  straw-board, 
and  cut  it  nearly  the  full  size  of  the  platen  plate.  Then 

148 


MAKING  READY  A  STEEL  DIE 


with  LePage  gkie  carefully  spread  all  over  one  side  of 
the  sheet  of  box-board,  apply  the  sheet  of  box-board 
to  the  surface  of  the  platen  plate. 


John  Thomson  Cutter  and  Creaser 


Third,  place  the  chase  containing  the  die,  or  series 
of  dies,  on  the  press.  Fourth,  with  a  small  printer's 
hand  inking  roller  and  printers'  black  ink,  apply  the 
ink  to  all  creasing  rules  in  the  form.  Fifth,  take  a 
sheet  of  the  stock  which  is  to  be  cut  and  creased,  and 
by  slowly  turning  the  fly-wheels  of  the  press,  take  an 
impression  of  the  form  on  this  sheet  of  stock.    If  all 


149 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


of  the  cutting  rules  cut  through  the  stock  clearly,  the 
impression  is  right.  If  the  cutting  rules  do  not  cut 
sharply,  more  impression  will  be  required,  and  this  is 
obtained  by  moving  the  slides  holding  the  throw-off 
bar  up  one  or  two  notches.  Do  not  move  the  slides 
up  more  than  one  notch  at  one  time,  and  keep  moving 
them,  after  taking  additional  impressions  on  blank 
sheets  of  stock  until  finally  the  impression  is  rightly 
adjusted. 

The  first  inking  of  the  form  was  for  the  purpose 
of  showing  the  positions  of  the  creasing  rules.  Never 
mind  additional  inking  while  the  impression  is  being 
adjusted.  After  the  impression  has  been  made  right, 
ink  all  of  the  creasing  rules  in  the  form  again  and  then 
take  an  impression  of  the  form  on  the  sheet  of  box- 
board  which  has  been  glued  to  the  platen  plate.  Now 
comes  the  most  tedious  part  of  the  makeready: 

All  of  the  inked  creasing  lines  which  appear  on 
the  platen  must  be  carefully  cut  out  with  a  sharp  make- 
ready  knife.  That  is,  the  thin  lines  made  on  the  sheet 
of  box-board  on  the  platen  by  the  inked  creasing  rules 
must  be  cut  away  with  the  knife  in  long,  narrow  strips 
so  as  to  form  the  female  part  of  the  die.  If  the  creas- 
ing rules  are  2-point  size,  cut  away  about  ^-points;  if 
4-point  creasing  rule,  cut  away  about  5-points ;  if  6- 
point  creasing  rule,  cut  away  about  7-points.  In  mak- 
ing these  grooves  slightly  wider  than  the  size  of  the 
creasing  rules,  the  stock  will  press  into  the  grooves 
easily  and  will  form  the  proper  creasing  or  scoring. 


ADJUSTING  THE  IMPRESSION 


Do  not  cut  away  any  other  parts  of  the  sheet  of 
box-board  which  has  been  glued  to  the  platen  plate. 
The  steel  cutting  rules  should  cut  into  this  sheet  of 
box-board. 

Ordinarily,  the  counter-die,  after  having  been 
made  in  the  manner  described,  would  be  completed, 
but  in  the  case  of  a  long  run  of  work,  the  following 
additional  makeready  is  done : 

THE  KIND  01^  MAKEREADY  THAT  IS  WORTH  WHILE 

After  the  grooves  have  been  cleanly  cut,  and  after 
all  strips  of  the  box-board  have  been  removed  from  the 
grooves,  lay  a  sheet  of  plain  white  paper  over  the  en- 
tire counter-die  and  pull  an  impression  of  the  form  on 
this  sheet.  Then  turn  over  the  sheet  of  paper ;  study 
the  detail  of  the  impression  and  see  if  any  of  the  cut- 
ting and  creasing  rules  are  weak  in  certain  places. 
With  a  blue  pencil  mark  rings  around  any  of  the  weak 
places  which  may  appear.  Then  with  a  sharp  knife, 
flour  paste  and  French  folio  paper,  ''spot  up"  all  cir- 
cles made  by  the  blue  pencil  with  pieces  of  the  French 
folio.  Some  places,  extra  weak,  may  call  for  two  or 
three  circles  of  the  French  folio.  After  the  sheet  has 
been  ''spotted  up",  loosen  the  counter-sunk  screws  in 
the  platen  plate ;  lift  ofif  the  plate,  and  with  a  small 
quantity  of  flour  paste  attach  the  "spot-up"  sheet  to 
the  under-side  of  the  platen  plate  in  true  position  so 
that  it  will  register  with  the  counter-die,  or  makeready 
on  the  other  side  of  the  plate.  Paste  the  "spot-up" 
sheet,  face  up,  to  the  under  side  of  the  plate.   Then  re- 

151 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


place  the  platen  plate  with  the  *'spot-up"  sheet  under 
it.  This  process  of  makeready  is  worth  while  on  all 
forms  which  are  to  have  long  runs,  and  it  will  cause  all 
of  the  weak  cutting  and  creasing  rules  to  have  an  even 
impression.  Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  the  beginner, 
the  little  pieces  of  French  folio,  when  properly  placed 
under  the  platen  plate,  will  do  wonders  in  making  a 
die  even.  In  the  case  of  rules  which  have  been  in  ser- 
vice for  some  time,  several  ''spot-up"  sheets  may  be 
needed  under  the  platen  plate,  and  in  the  case  of  worn 
rules,  the  "spotting  up"  should  be  done  with  pieces  of 
book  paper,  or  even  with  heavy  Manila  paper.  An 
exceedingly  weak  place  will  require  a  heavy  piece  of 
paper  under  the  platen  plate. 

PUTTING  ON  THE  FEEDING  GUIDES 

The  feeding  guides  may  be  of  brass,  wood  or  lead. 
Pieces  of  12-point  printer's  brass  rule,  about  two 
inches  long,  make  the  best  guides  for  heavy  sheets  of 
box  board.  12-point  slugs,  about  two  inches  long,  or 
pieces  of  12-point  reglet,  will  serve  well  as  feeding 
guides  for  the  general  run  of  work.  Rub  brass  or 
lead  slugs  on  a  sheet  of  fine  emery  paper  before  apply- 
ing the  glue,  as  the  rubbing  helps  in  making  the  guides 
hold  firmly.  Use  only  LePage  glue  in  attaching  the 
guides. 

After  the  guides  have  been  put  on  in  the  proper 
position,  fenders  are  then  applied  at  the  inner  sides 
of  the  two  bottom  guides,  and  one  fender  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  side  guide.    There  are  three  guides,  two  at 


CORKING  THE  STEEL  DIE  FORM 


the  bottom  and  one  on  the  left-hand  side.  The  fend- 
ers are  formed  of  heavy-weight  folding  cardboard,  or 
of  I -point  brass  rule,  about  one-and-one-half  inches 
long.  The  fenders  are  used  to  prevent  the  sheets  of 
box-board  from  extending  over  the  guides  in  the 
feeding. 

CORKING  THE  STEEL-DIE  FORM 

After  the  make-ready  for  a  cutting  and  creasing 
form  has  been  completed,  the  form  must  be  corked  so 
as  to  prevent  the  sheets  of  box-board  from  adhering 
to  the  cutting  rules  as  each  impression  is  taken.  One 
good  method  of  corking  is  gluing  rows  of  small-size 
corks  to  the  wood  furniture  in  the  form,  the  rows  of 
corks  placed  on  either  side  of  all  cutting  rules  in  the 
form.  In  the  case  of  metal  furniture,  the  corks  are 
glued  to  flat,  solid  places  in  the  metal  furniture,  or 
are  inserted  in  the  small,  open  places  in  labor-saving 
lead  furniture,  as  the  case  may  be.  The  corks  when 
properly  glued  or  inserted,  should  stand  up  about  one 
quarter-of-an-inch  above  the  steel  cutting  rules,  so 
that  when  an  impression  is  taken  on  a  sheet  of  box- 
board,  the  corks  will  have  force  enough  to  ''push'' 
the  sheet  ofif  the  cutting  rules. 

Another  method  of  corking  is  that  done  with 
long  strips  of  cork,  high  enough  for  the  purpose.  These 
strips  of  cork  are  glued  on  the  metal  or  wood  furni- 
ture in  the  same  way  as  individual  corks  are  applied. 
The  Armstrong  Cork  Company,  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
can  supply  cork  in  strips  made  expressly  for  use  on 
cutting  and  creasing  presses.    Use  LePage  glue  in 

153 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


applying  the  corks,  and  put  on  plenty  of  strip  cork,  or 
individual  corks,  so  that  the  sheets  will  leave  the  form 
without  breaking. 

FEEDING  THE  SHEETS  OF  BOX-BOARD 

The  operator  of  a  cutting  and  creasing  press  can- 
not be  too  careful  when  feeding  sheets  into  the  press. 
It  is  dangerous  work,  and  the  feeder  must  be  constant- 
ly watchful  over  his  hands.  Never  reach  the  hand  in 
the  press  after  a  sheet  which  may  stick  to  the  form,  or 
after  sections  of  a  sheet  which  may  have  broken  apart 
in  the  cutting.  Your  hands  are  too  precious  to  ''take 
any  chances."  Keep  corking  the  form  until  all  sheets 
leave  the  cutting  rules  without  any  difficulty.  Bend  the 
sheets  of  box-board,  in  small  lots,  so  that  the  shape 
of  the  sheets  makes  easy  feeding.  Always  be  careful 
when  feeding,  and  keep  your  eyes  on  your  work. 

STRIPPING 

After  the  sheets  of  box-board  have  been  cut  and 
creased,  they  are  taken  to  the  finishing  room  where 
girls  and  boys  do  the  stripping,  which  means  removing 
all  waste  material  from  the  sheets.  About  fifty  sheets 
at  a  time  are  stripped.  Intricate  cut-outs,  box-corners, 
fancy  shapes,  etc.,  are  ''hammered  out"  with  the  aid 
of  a  mallet.  A  small  pile  of  the  stock  is  laid  over  the 
edge  of  a  large  wooden  box,  and  with  a  blow  of  the 
mallet  the  waste  material  falls  out  into  the  box. 

GLUING  FOLDING  BOXES 

There  are  several  well-known  gluing  machines  on 
the  market  which  are  designed  particularly  for  gluing 


154 


OPERATING  A  GLUING  MACHINE 


together  folding  boxes  or  cartons.  The  ordinary  glu- 
ing machine  is  fitted  with  a  feeding  table,  a  series  of 
steel  rollers,  a  glue  fountain  and  a  gluing  wheel.  As 


the  operator  feeds  the  sheets,  hot  glue  is  applied  to  the 
flaps.  The  operator  then  folds  each  sheet  so  that  the 
glued  flap  is  in  the  right  position.  The  series  of  steel 
rollers  then  press  the  glued  flaps  firmly  together,  com- 
pleting the  operation. 

One  of  the  best  gluing  machines  on  the  market  is 


155 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


the  ''Staude  Automatic,"  made  by  the  E.  G.  Staude 
Manufacturing  Company,  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.  This 
machine  is  fitted  with  a  vertical  stacker  and  other  im- 
proved devices  which  make  it  possible  for  the  folding 
box-maker  to  handle  a  wide  range  of  work  at  high 
speed. 


Walter  Scott  Cylinder  Press  Equipped  for  Cutting  and  Creasing. 


Another  excellent  gluing  machine  is  known  as  the 
'Tnternational,"  made  by  the  International  Paper  Box 
Machine  Company,  of  Nashua,  N.  H.  This  machine 
is  equipped  with  an  electric  counting  device  and  other 
improved  features  which  make  it  a  great  labor-saver. 


156 


MAKING  READY  FOR  CUT-OUTS 


CUTTING   AND   CREASING   ON    CYLINDER  PRESSES 

Spacious  forms  containing  a  large  number  of 
steel  cutting  and  creasing  dies  are  being  handled  on 
cylinder  presses,  and  the  dies  and  make-ready  are 
practically  the  same  as  for  cutting  and  creasing  on 
platen  presses.  The  Walter  Scott  &  Company,  of 
Plainfield,  N.  J.,  manufacture  special  cylinder  presses 
for  use  on  cutting  and  creasing  forms,  and  on  order, 
these  presses  will  be  furnished  with  one-  or  two-color 
printing  attachments. 

Cutting  and  creasing  can  be  done  on  any  style  of 
cylinder  press,  provided  that  the  cylinder  of  the  press 
is  fitted  with  a  flexible  steel  sheet  on  the  order  of  a 
steel  platen  plate.  The  cylinder  must  be  timed  and 
adjusted  to  provide  for  the  steel  surface  sheet.  These 
changes  should  be  made  by  an  expert  machinist. 

Make-ready  for  cutting  and  creasing  on  a  cylinder 
press  is  practically  the  same  as  on  a  platen  press. 

MAKING  READY  A  STEEL  CUTTING  DIE  FOR  ADVERTISING 
NOVELTIES,  ETC. 

This  refers  to  a  steel  cutting  die  to  be  used  only 
for  cut-outs,  such  as  fans,  inserts  for  set-up  boxes, 
fancy  calendars,  wall  pockets,  photo  mounts,  leather 
goods,  etc.  All  of  this  kind  of  work  can  be  cut  out  on 
a  standard  cutting  and  creasing  press,  or  on  a  cylinder 
press,  from  dies  made  of  steel  cutting  rule.  As  men- 
tioned before,  a  die  of  this  character  does  not  con- 
tain any  creasing  rules,  and  is  set  in  grooves  sawed  in 
laminated  board. 


157 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


The  make-ready  for  a  cutting  die  is  altogether 
different  than  the  make-ready  on  a  cutting  and  creas- 
ing form.  The  make-ready  is  very  simple.  No  coun- 
ter-die, or  ''female  die/'  is  required.  The  cutting 
rules  merely  strike  the  bare  surface  of  the  platen  plate. 

If  desired,  a  sheet  of  chip-board,  news-board  or 
straw-board  may  be  glued  to  the  surface  of  the  platen 
plate,  but  this  is  not  necessary.  The  main  thing  is  to 
have  the  impression  even,  and  of  just  the  right  strength 
to  make  a  clean,  sharp  cut  of  the  stock. 

The  form  is  corked  in  the  same  manner  as  a  form 
for  cutting  and  creasing. 

Guides  and  fenders  are  glued  to  pieces  of  heavy 
Manila  paper  which  first  have  been  glued  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  platen  plate.  The  Manila  paper  is  used 
merely  for  holding  the  guides  and  fenders  firmly. 

In  the  case  of  the  stock  falling  apart  on  the  form, 
after  the  impression  has  been  made,  file  a  few  small 
slots  at  various  points  on  the  edges  of  the  steel  cut- 
ting rules.  Use  a  three-edge  file  for  this  purpose. 
The  slots  break  certain  places  of  the  cutting  rules,  and 
thereby  prevent  the  stock  from  falling  apart  until  it 
reaches  the  stripping  department.  The  small  slots  do 
not  mar  the  finished  work. 

Rough  edges  of  cut-outs,  such  as  fans,  odd  shapes, 
advertising  novelties,  etc.,  are  easily  smoothed  by  tak- 
ing small  piles  of  the  cut-outs  and  rubbing  the  edges 
with  emery  paper  or  sand  paper. 


158 


CHAPTER  X 


THE   PRINTING  DEPARTMENT 

EARLY  all  of  the  larger  paper  box  manufac- 


J[  ^  turers  are  operating  their  own  printing  depart- 
ments. Many  of  the  smaller  paper  box-making  con- 
cerns are  also  operating  private  printing  plants,  and 
when  managed  efficiently,  the  printing  department  is 
a  profitable  investment  for  any  paper  box  factory,  large 
or  small. 

The  writer  knows  of  several  large  printing  con- 
cerns, of  New  York  City  and  Philadelphia,  who  are 
specializing  in  the  production  of  wrappers  and  other 
printed  matter  for  paper  box  manufacturers.  All  of 
these  printing  establishments  are  continually  busy, 
and  from  all  indications,  are  earning  substantial 
profits  on  their  work.  In  fact,  it  is  certain  that  these 
printing  concerns  are  making  money  on  their  specialty 
lines,  for  they  have  been  in  business  for  a  long  time; 
are  paying  their  employes  the  standard  scales  of 
wages,  and  are  keeping  their  plants  in  first  class  phy- 
ical  condition  by  installing  new  machines  and  labor- 
saving  devices  immediately  as  they  are  placed  on  the 
market.  Now  unless  a  printing  firm  is  earning  a  fair 
margin  of  profit  on  all  of  its   product,   certainly  it 


159 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


would  not  be  in  the  financial  position  to  do  the  things 
which  have  just  been  mentioned. 

If  a  printing  company  can  afiford  to  operate  a 
large  plant,  running  almost  exclusively  on  work  for 
paper  box  manufactures,  there  is  no  reason  why  the 
box-makers  themselves  cannot  make  money  by  having 
their  own  printing  plants.  The  writer,  however,  has 
heard  some  box  manufacturers  complain  about  not 
earning  any  profits  from  private  printing  plants,  and 
in  this  article  the  writer  will  attempt  to  point  out  to 
the  box-makers  the  ways  and  means  of  profitably  con- 
ducting a  printing  department.  With  my  eighteen 
years  experience  as  a  practical  printer  and  executive, 
I  feel  that  I  am  capable  of  oflfering  information  re- 
garding the  printing  business  which  should  prove  help- 
ful to  paper  box  manufacturers  in  general. 

EQUIPMENT  SUGGESTED   FOR  A   MEDIUM-SIZE  PRINTING 
DEPARTMENT 

It  is  my  intention  to  suggest  the  newest  material 
and  mechanical  equipment  for  a  printing  plant  rather 
than  material  and  machines  which  are  not  quite  up- 
to-date,  and  this  will  explain  why  I  shall  mention 
such  things  as  steel  composing-room  furniture,  and 
automatic  feeders  for  platen  presses. 

One  14x22  Hartford,  or  John  Thomson  press, 
equipped  with  individual  motor. 

One  10x15  Chandler  &  Price  press  with  indi- 
vidual motor. 

160 


EQUIPMENT  FOR  PRINTING  PLANT 


No.  2005  Tracy  Cabinet — Job  Side 


One  10x15  Chandler  &  Price  press,  equipped  with 
automatic  feeder  and  individual  motor. 

One  12x18  Chandler  &  Price  press,  equipped  with 
automatic  feeder  and  individual  motor. 

One  ''Pony"  cylinder  press,  equipped  with  indi- 
vidual motor. 

One  Oswego,  or  Seybold  paper  cutting  machine, 
44-inch,  fitted  with  individual  motor. 

One  Bronzing  machine — one  of  the  new  vacuum 
models. 

Roller  Cabinets,  Ink  Cabinets,  Drying  Racks, 
Stock  Tables,  etc. 

Two  or  Three  Steel  Type  Cabinets,  each  Cabinet 

161 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  "MADE 


No.  2005  Tracy  Cabinet — News  Side 


containing  two  tiers  of  Type  Cases,  Cases  filled  with 
a  well-selected  assortment  of  Type  Faces,  suitable  for 
all  kinds  of  box-maker's  printing. 

One  Steel  Imposing  Table,  fitted  with  galley 
racks,  drawers  and  chase  racks  on  one  side,  and  with 
complete  assortment  of  printers'  wood  furniture  on 
the  other  side. 

One  Indexed  Electrotype  Cabinet. 

Series  of  Cases  for  Leads,  Slugs,  Labor-saving 
Metal  Furniture,  Brass  Rules,  Borders,  Quads  and 
Spaces. 

One  Proof  Press. 

One  Lead  and  Rule  Cutter. 

162 


EQUIPMENT  FOR  PRINTING  PLANT 


A  printing  plant,  equipped  with  the  machines 
and  materials  mentioned  in  the  foregoing,  could  be 
classed  as  ideal.  It  would  be  adapted  to  any  kind  of 
printing  which  may  come  to  the  paper  box  manufac- 
turing plant.  The  10x15  and  12x18  Chandler  &  Price 
presses,  fitted  with  automatic  feeders,  would  be  capa- 
ble of  handling  long  runs  of  wrappers  at  high  speed, 
while  the  Hartford  (or  John  Thomson)  press  would 
be  engaged  on  fine  color  work,  embossing,  etc.,  and 
the  Pony  cylinder  press  could  be  used  for  larger  work, 
printing  cartons,  two  or  more  wrappers  together  on 
one  sheet,  and  so  forth. 

Steel  composing-room  equipment  has  been  sug- 
gested because  of  its  great  durability  and  improved 
design,  but  hard-wood  printers'  furniture,  like  that 
made  by  the  Hamilton  Manufacturing  Company,  of 
Two  Rivers,  Wis.,  and  the  Kramer  Woodworking 
Company,  of  Philadelphia,  will  serve  just  as  well  as 
steel  equipment  in  the  average  printing  office.  On  pages 
Nos.  161  and  162  are  illustrations,  showing  front  and 
back  views  of  the  Tracy  Type  Cabinets  (Hamilton 
Manufacturing  Co.)  which  are  very  popular  in  many 
composing-rooms. 

IMPOSING  TABLES. 

The  new-style  imposing  tables  are  made  from  both 
steel  and  wood.  Both  the  steel  and  wood  imposing 
tables  have  planed  steel  tops.  These  tables  come  in 
various  sizes,  and  they  are  made  in  dififerent  styles  so 
far  as  the  arrangement  of  drawers,  galley-slides,  let- 
ter boards,  chase  racks,  and  lock-up  furniture  is  con- 

163 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


cerned.  The  following  illustrations  of  a  No.  4040 
Hamilton  Imposing  table,  made  of  hard-wood  with 
a  steel  top,  shows  the  back  and  front  views  of  the 
table.  Note  the  arrangement  of  the  printers'  labor- 
saving  wood  furniture,  letter-boards,  galley  shelves, 
chase  rack  and  drawers : 


No.  4040  Imposing-  Table  (front  view) 


The  time-saving  advantages  of  an  imposing  table 
of  this  design  should  be  apparent  to  any  intelligent 
person.  With  a  table  equipped  like  this  one,  with 
labor-saving  furniture,  letter-boards,  etc.,  the  imposi- 
tion man  can  lock-up  form  after  form  without  finding 
it  necessary  to  walk  away  from  the  table  for  lock-up 
material.  On  the  letter-boards  are  kept  standing 
''live"  forms  ready  for  repeat  orders.  Hundreds  of 
small,  live  jobs  are  also  kept  standing  on  the  galleys. 
As  the  forms  are  locked  up  for  the  presses  the  chases 
are  placed  in  the  chase  rack,  and  from  there  the 
pressman  takes  them. 

164 


PROPER  EQUIPMENT  OF  TYPE 


— 1 

- 

 1 

|iiiiai 

No.  4040  Imposing  Table  (reverse  side  view) 


TYPE  EQUIPMENT 

It  would  be  impossible  to  specifiy  type  equipment 
which  would  be  lOO  per  cent  suitable  for  the  printing 
department  of  a  paper  box  plant,  for  the  reason  that 
the  requirements  of  every  printing  department  are 
different.  It  is  safe,  however,  to  install  popular  type 
faces  like  Lining  Gothic,  Caslon  Old  Style,  Bodoni 
Bold,  Caslon  Bold,  Cheltenham  Bold,  Goudy  Bold, 
etc.  Much  of  the  label  and  carton  work  handled  in 
the  box-maker's  printing  office  is  composed  of  heavy- 
face  type,  like  Cheltenham  Bold  for  example,  and  that 
is  why  the  bold  faces  mentioned  have  been  suggested. 
Both  light-face  and  bold-face  Gothic  are  always  useful. 

When  buying  display  type  of  some  good  face  it 
is  always  advisable  to  buy  weight  fonts  of  the  entire 
series  instead  of  job  fonts.  A  weight  font,  say  25 
pounds,  will  usually  fill  a  job  case,  and  give  the  printer 
plenty  of  characters  to  work  with,  while  a  job  font 
contains  only  a  few  duplicates  of  each  character. 

165 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Have  only  a  limited  number  of  good  type  faces, 
but  have  plenty  of  each  size  and  character.  Also  have 
an  abundance  of  2-point  leads,  6-point  slugs,  12-poinL 
slugs,  quads,  spaces  and  metal  furniture.  Labor-sav- 
ing brass  rule — i -point  face  on  3-point  body,  is  of  par- 
ticular advantage  for  borders  of  labels,  panels  for  box- 
tops,  etc. ;  2-point  face  rule  on  2-point  body,  and  6- 
point  face  rule  on  6-point  body,  are  also  very  useful. 
Running  borders  of  artistic  design,  in  6-,  12-,  18-  and 
24-point  sizes,  are  admirable  for  borders  for  box 
labels  of  the  larger  size. 

For  the  printed  matter  on  the  fronts  of  small- 
size  cartons,  the  box-maker  will  need  a  number  of 
small,  compressed  type  faces,  such  as  for  example : 
6-,  8-,  10-,  12-  and  14-point  Extra  Condensed  Chel- 
tenham Bold.  Regular  Condensed  Cheltenham  Bold, 
in  these  same  sizes,  will  also  be  found  very  useful. 
Extra  Condensed  Gothic,  in  all  sizes  from  6-point  to 
72-point,  is  excellent  for  narrow-measure  display 
composition  on  carton  work,  narrow  labels  for  boxes 
and  bottles,  and  so  forth.  These  are  facts  which 
must  be  carefully  considered  by  every  box-maker  who 
may  be  thinking  of  installing  a  printing  plant. 

Many  small  labels  and  fronts  of  cartons  contain 
''Direction  for  Use,''  and  other  information  printed  in 
very  small  type,  and  this  means  that  the  box-maker 
having  a  printing  plant  must  use  a  considerable  quan- 
tity of  5-point  and  6-point  body  type.  Old  Style  Ro- 
man is  a  good  face  for  this  class  of  composition,  and 

166 


SMALL-SIZE  TYPE  ESSENTL^L 


it  should  be  kept  in  open  news  cases  on  the  top  of 
type  cabinets  so  as  to  make  the  work  of  setting  as 
easy  as  possible  for  the  compositors.  It  is  the  right 
thing  to  keep  all  job  type  stored  in  dust-proof  cabi- 
nets, but  in  the  case  of  small  body  type  which  is  be- 
ing used  frequently,  it  is  advantageous  to  keep  it  in 
open  cases,  despite  the  fact  that  open  type  cases  are 
"dust  collectors." 


Ilailford  riaten  Printing-  Press. 


]67 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Much  of  the  smaller  work  for  labels  and  cartons 
is  of  such  an  intricate  character  as  to  call  for  the  use 
of  a  great  deal  of  small-size  type,  like  5-point  Old 
Style  Roman,  6-point  Extra  Condensed  Gothic,  etc. 
Often  the  forms  must  be  spaced  out  with  the  greatest 
care  so  as  to  make  the  forms  fit  small  spaces.  A  com- 
plete assortment  of  thin  copper  spaces,  and  of  i-point 
brasses,  laid  out  in  small  cases,  will  be  found  exceed- 
ingly useful  for  the  fine  spacing  referred  to. 

It  would  be  a  mistake  for  anyone  to  be  under  the 
impression  that  box-makers'  printed  matter  is  of  the 
common-place  variety,  for  many  of  the  wrappers,  box- 
tops  and  labels  produced  for  fine  candy  boxes,  rub- 
ber goods  boxes,  holiday  boxes  and  other  boxes  are 
printed  in  the  best  style.  The  type  forms  and  designs, 
in  many  instances,  are  works  of  art.  This  means  that 
the  compositor  working  in  the  box  manufacturing 
factory  should  be  a  high  grade  craftsman,  capable  of 
producing  first  class  display  typography. 

The  typography  for  all  box-makers'  printed  mat- 
ter should  be  simple  and  beautiful  and  easy  to  read. 
No  ornaments,  with  the  exception  of  borders,  should 
be  used.  Good,  clear-cut  type  faces  are  better  than 
fancy  type  faces. 

THE    HARTFORD    PRINTING  PRESS 

The  Hartford  platen  printing  press,  made  by  the 
National  Machine  Company,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  is 
one  of  the  best  machines  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  be- 
ing built  expressly  for  the  finest  class  of  half  tone 

168 


POWERFUL  PLATEN  PRESSES 


and  color  printing.  By  reason  of  its  powerful  con- 
struction, the  Hartford  Press,  in  additon  to  doing 
printing,  is  also  capable  of  doing  cutting  and  creas- 
ing. It  may  also  be  used  for  embossing.  It  should 
be  understood  by  the  reader  that  the  National 
Company  are  making  three  different  kinds  of  presses 
— printing  presses,  cutting  and  creasing  presses,  and 
embossing  presses.  The  proper  press  should  be  used 
for  each  particular  class  of  work,  but  just  the  same, 
the  Hartford  printing  press  is  strong  enough  to  do 
light  cutting  and  creasing,  and  also  embossing,  in  addi- 
tion to  printing. 

The  Hartford  printing  press  is  well  adapted  to 
spacious  forms  of  type  or  plates  for  cartons,  wrap- 
pers and  labels.  Often,  on  this  machine,  two  or  more 
wrappers,  cartons  or  labels  can  be  printed  together 
on  one  sheet  of  stock.  On  fine  color  work,  pictures, 
designs,  etc.,  for  art  wrappers,  the  Hartford  is  es- 
pecially useful.  This  machine  is  also  adapted  to  close- 
register  color  printing  on  cardboard,  as  used  for  ''set- 
in"  forms  for  holiday  boxes,  necktie  boxes  and  sus- 
pender boxes.  The  "set-in"  forms,  after  being  printed, 
can  also  be  cut  out  to  the  required  shape  on  the  Hart- 
ford Printing  Press. 

THE   JOHN   THOMSON   PRINTING  PRESS 

This  is  another  of  the  first-class  platen  printing 
presses  which  is  particularly  suitable  for  the  printing 
department  of  a  paper-box  plant.  The  John  Thom- 
son Printing  Press  is  also  known  as  the  ''Colt's  Ar- 

169 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


niory"  press,  and  it  is  famous  for  excellent  color  and 
half-tone  work.  The  finest  embossing,  also  light  cut- 
thig  and  creasing,  can  be  handled  on  this  machine. 


John  Thomson  Printing  Press 


For  long  runs  of  the  finest  close-register  color  work, 
for  ''holly"  wrappers,  pictures,  fancy  wrappers,  etc., 
there  is  no  better  machine  than  the  John  Thomson 
press  and  many  of  these  machines  are  being  used  on 
work  of  this  class. 


170 


THE  MIEHLE  CYLINDER  PRESS 


Many  of  the  larger-size  paper  box  wrappers, 
printed  in  colors,  and  embossed  in  gold,  are  produced 
on  John  Thomson  printing  presses,  including  the 
embossed  work.  Advertising  novelties,  cardboard 
fans,  and  other  kinds  of  paper  "cut-outs"  are  cut  out 
on  these  machines.  Cutting  and  creasing  for  all  kinds 
of  cartons  are  also  done  on  the  John  Thomson  print- 
ing presses,  although  heavy  cutting  and  creasing 
should  be  done  on  regular  cutting  and  creasing  presses. 

Later  on  the  writer  will  explain  how  embossing 
and  gold-leafing  are  done  on  platen  printing  presses. 


Miehle  Pony  Cylinder  Press 
THE  MIEHLE  CYLINDER  PRESS 

Miehle  cylinder  presses  are  in  successful  operation 
in  many  of  the  largest  printing  plants  in  America, 
and  the  adaptability  of  these  machines  to  the  finest 
half  tone  and  color  work  is  too  well-known  to  require 


171 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


comment  here.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  for  the  print- 
ing departments  of  large  paper  box  concerns,  where 
cyHnder  presses  are  needed,  no  better  machines  could 
be  installed  than  those  made  by  the  Miehle  Printing 
Press  and  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  Chicago. 

The  Miehle  Pony  Cylinder  Press  is  very  useful 
for  printing  cartons,  box  wrappers,  etc.  Large  Miehle 
Cylinder  presses  are  excellent  for  printing  heavy  color 
plates  as  applied  to  the  larger  sizes  of  folding  boxes, 
such  as  cereal  boxes,  tea  boxes,  spice  boxes  and  so  on. 
As  many  as  a  dozen  of  these  cartons  are  printed  on 
the  one  sheet  of  stock,  being  cut  apart  afterwards. 

THE  KIDDER  AUTOMATIC  PRINTING  PRESS 

Some  of  the  larger  manufacturers  of  both  fold- 
ing boxes  and  cartons  are  making  good  use  of  Kid- 
der automatic  printing  presses  in  their  printing  plants. 
In  some  instances  the  Kidder  is  being  used  for  print- 
ing cartons  from  large  rolls  of  carton  stock,  and  in 
other  cases  the  machine  is  running  on  big  orders  of 
box  labels  printed  from  rolls  of  paper.  Box  labels 
may  be  printed  in  one  or  two  colors  on  a  special  Kid- 
der press,  and  the  machine  is  equipped  with  a  cutting 
device  for  cutting  the  labels  to  correct  size  as  they  are 
printed  from  the  rolls  of  paper. 

For  complete  information  about  these  machines, 
write  the  Kidder  Press  Co.,  of  Dover,  N.  H. 

THE    MILLER    AUTOMATIC    FEEDER    FOR  CHANDLER 
&  PRICE  PRESSES 

Recently  the  writer  entered  the  printing  depart- 


172 


AUTOMATIC  JOB  PRESS  FEEDERS 


ment  of  a  Philadelphia  paper  box  manufacturing  con- 
cern, and  there  were  seen  three  Chandler  &  Price 
presses,  equipped  with  Miller  automatic  feeders,  run- 
ning on  large  orders  of  box  wrappers.    One  press  was 


Chandler  &  Price  Press  equipped  with  Miller  Feeder.     The  picture 
shows  the  feeder  in  operating  position. 

engaged  in  putting  on  the  final  color  of  a  four-color 
design  for  a  box  wrapper ;  the  second  machine  was 
running  on  a  form  printed  in  gold  ink,  and  the  third 
press  was  operating  on  a  plain,  black-ink  job. 

Two  of  these  Chandler  &  Price  presses  were  of 


173 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


the  I2xi8  size,  and  the  other  machine  was  of  the  lox 
15  size.  The  three  Miller  feeders  were  working  at 
high  speed,  feeding  the  blank  sheets  in  the  presses 
with  no  difficulty  whatever.  One  pressman,  assisted 
by  a  boy,  was  keeping  these  three  platen  presses  con- 
tinually busy  on  long  runs  of  the  wrappers.  His  prin- 
cipal work  was  in  taking  away  the  finished  work,  and 
in  putting  up  new  piles  of  stock  to  be  printed. 

Under  the  old  system  of  feeding  platen  presses, 
it  would  have  required  one  pressman  and  three  young 
men,  or  young  women,  to  keep  these  three  presses  in 
continual  operation,  but  with  the  Miller  feeders,  the 
same  amount  of  work,  (or  even  a  larger  output  of 
work)  was  being  done  by  one  pressman  and  one  as- 
sistant. 

Miller  Feeders  are  now  being  made  in  three  dif- 
ferent sizes — 8x12,  10x15,  and  12x18 — by  the  Miller 
Saw-Trimmer  Co.,  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  they  are  made  only  for  Chandler  &  Price 
presses  of  the  three  sizes  mentioned.  These  automatic 
feeders  will  handle  all  weights  of  stocky  from  onion 
skin  paper  to  heavy  cardboard,  and  they  will  feed 
the  sheets  to  close  register  for  color  printing. 

It  should  be  understood  that  the  Miller  Saw- 
Trimmer  Co.  will  supply  the  Miller  Feeders  sepa- 
rately, so  that  the  buyer  may  have  the  feeders  ap- 
plied to  C.  &  P.  presses,  or  the  company  will  furnish 
complete  ''units,"  consisting  of  the  C.  &  P.  press, 
Miller  feeder,  ink  fountain,  counter,  speed  pulley, 
motor,  etc. 

174 


KINDS  OF  BOX-MAKERS^  PRINTING 

j 

There  is  another  automatic  platen  press  feeder, 
called  the  ''Humana/'  manufactured  by  The  Humana 
Co.]  of  Newark,  N.  J. 

KINDS  OF  WORK  DONE  IN  THE  PRINTING  DEPARTMENT 
I  OF   A   PAPER   BOX  FACTORY 

For  those  not  familiar  with  the  special  class  of 
work  produced  in  the  average  printing  department 
of  a  paper  box  factory,  the  following  information 
should  prove  interesting  and  perhaps  helpful : 

The  manufacture  of  fine  set-up  paper  boxes, 
such  as  candy  boxes  for  example,  would  use  the  print- 
ing department  mainly  for  printing  customers'  busi- 
ness cards,  designs,  and  pictures  on  glazed  paper 
wrappers.  Here  is  a  special  field  in  itself,  for  there 
are  many  dififerent  kinds  of  box  wrappers,  many  of 
them  printed  in  colors,  or  printed,  gold-leafed  and  em- 
bossed. Many  of  the  fancy  wrappers  contain  beauti- 
ful pictures,  done  in  four  or  more  colors,  while  other 
wrappers  have  business  cards  printed  merely  in  one 
color. 

Loose  wrappers  for  toilet  articles,  perfumery, 
and  other  things  of  this  variety  are  often  printed  in 
tints  and  colors.  Some  are  done  in  colors  and  gold, 
and  after  being  printed,  are  embossed. 

Many  of  the  fine  loose  wrappers  are  applied  to 
both  set-up  boxes  and  folding  boxes,  and  not  a  few 
of  them  are  works  of  art.  By  covering  a  rough  set- 
up paper  box,  or  a  cheap  carton,  with  a  handsomely- 
printed  loose  wrapper,  the  appearance  of  the  box  is 


175 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


wonderfully  enhanced.  This  goes  to  show  the  great 
utility  of  the  right  kind  of  printed  wrappers. 

The  manufacturer  of  set-up  boxes  would  also 
have  considerable  demand  for  glazed  labels,  to  be  ap- 
plied to  the  tops  of  writing  paper  boxes,  rubber  goods 
boxes,  and  so  forth.  In  many  instances,  labels  of 
this  variety  are  printed  in  several  colors  and  gold. 

Some  of  the  fine  set-up  boxes  are  first  tight- 
wrapped  with  white  or  tinted  glazed  paper,  and  after- 
wards fancy  printed  labels  are  pasted  to  the  top  of 
the  lids  and  to  the  sides  of  the  lids. 

The  demand  for  holiday  boxes,  particularly  the 
kind  loose  wrapped  with  glazed  paper  containing 
holly  designs,  pictures  of  pretty  girls'  heads,  etc.,  is 
constantly  increasing,  and  all  of  this  variety  of  print- 
ing would  also  be  needed  by  the  set-up  box  manufac- 
turer. The  same  manufacturer  would  perhaps  re- 
quire printed  partitions,  cut  out  of  box-board,  for 
inserts  in  neckwear  boxes,  suspender  boxes  and  other 
holiday  boxes.  These  cardboard  ''set-ins"  are  often 
printed  with  fancy  designs  in  colors  and  gold. 

In  the  printing  department  of  a  folding  box  fac- 
tory the  style  of  printed  matter  would  be  dififerent 
from  the  fine  wrappers  and  labels  which  have  been  re- 
ferred to.  Here  the  major  portion  of  printing  would 
be  done  on  cartons,  although  plain  labels  would  fre- 
quently be  needed  for  cartons. 

Large-size  cartons  for  cereals,  tea,  dried  fruits, 
spices,  butter,  cake,  rice,  powders,  and  medicine  bot- 

176 


GREAT  DEMAND  FOR  PRINTlNCx 


ties  are  often  printed  in  several  colors,  no  labels  or 
wrapper  being  needed.  Other  cartons  have  printed 
labels  applied  to  their  fronts,  while  others  still  call 
for  printed  wrappers  of  the  ''loose"  style. 

There  is  always  a  tremendous  amount  of  printed 
matter  required  by  both  set-up  box-makers  and  fold- 
ing-box manufacturers,  and  therefore  the  average  box- 
maker's  print  shop  is  seldom  idle. 

In  the  next  chapter  the  writer  will  take  up  the 
subject  of  practical  printing  as  done  in  the  box- 
maker's  plant. 


177 


CHAPTER  XI 


THE  PRINTING  dEparTme:nt  (Continued) 
NE  of  the  larger  paper  box  manufacturing  con- 


cerns  of  Philadelphia  is  operating  a  printing- 
department  in  connection  with  its  plant  which  is 
equipped  and  managed  in  a  highly  efficient  man- 
ner. This  printing  department  includes  a  complete 
composing  room,  cylinder  and  platen  presses  of  var- 
ious models  and  sizes,  bronzing  machines  and  paper 
cutters.  Many  kinds  of  printed  matter  are  being  pro- 
duced, but  the  principal  specialty  consists  of  wrappers 
for  fine  candy  boxes.  The  business  cards  of  candy 
manufacturers  are  printed  on  these  wrappers.  Some 
of  the  printing  is  done  in  straight  colors  like  black, 
blue,  red,  green,  etc. ;  some  is  done  in  gold  printing 
ink.  Other  wrappers  are  printed  in  gold  size  and  af- 
terwards finished  in  gold  bronze,  others  still  are 
printed  in  gold  size  and  afterwards  finished  with  gold 
leaf.  Moreover,  many  of  the  fancy  wrappers  are 
printed  in  beautiful  designs  in  several  different  colors. 

Usually,  the  wrappers  containing  business  cards, 
or  designs,  done  in  gold  ink,  bronze,  or  gold  leaf,  are 
embossed  after  the  gold  had  been  applied.  Some  of 
the  business  cards,  or  designs,  printed  in  colors  are 
also  embossed  after  the  printing  has  been  done. 


179 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Among  the  time-saving  features  in  this  plant  are 
two  platen  presses  which  produce  bronzed  wrappers 
in  connection  with  two  bronzing  machines.  Running 
between  each  platen  press  and  each  bronzing  machine 
is  an  endless  conveyor  which  carries  the  freshly-inked 
sheets  from  the  press  to  the  bronzing  machine.  In 
other  words,  the  feeder  of  the  press  lays  the  damp 
sheets  on  the  conveyor  as  the  sheets  are  taken  from  the 
press,  and  the  conveyor  automatically  ''feeds"  the 
sheets  into  the  bronzing  machine. 

The  old  way  of  applying  bronze  powder  to  freshly- 
inked  sheets  was  in  first  printing  the  design  in  gold 
size,  and  then  sprinkling  the  bronze  powder  over  the 
design  with  the  aid  of  a  piece  of  raw  cotton.  This  is 
the  old  method  of  hand  bronzing,  and  is  still  being 
done  in  some  printing  offices  which  do  not  possess 
bronzing  machines.  The  hand  process  of  bronzing  is 
slow  and  very  unpleasant  to  the  workers  who  apply 
the  bronze  powder,  the  worker's  hands,  face  and  cloth- 
ing soon  becoming  covered  with  the  bronze  which  also 
flies  all  over  the  work-rooms. 

HAND  BRONZING 

With  hand  bronzing,  a  table  is  moved  near  the 
press  where  the  gold  size  is  being  applied  to  the  sheets. 
At  one  end  of  the  table  is  a  box  containing  the  bronze 
powder.  The  workers  who  do  the  bronzing  sit  on 
either  side  of  the  table.  As  the  feeder  of  the  press 
removes  the  printed  sheets  he  lays  them  on  the  table 
where  the  bronzing  is  done.  After  the  sheets  are  thor- 

i8o 


BRONZING  ON  BOX  WRAPPERS 


oughly  dry,  all  loose  particles  of  the  bronze  powder  are 
wiped  off  by  means  of  rubbing  with  raw  cotton. 

A  first  class  bronzing  machine  is  a  necessity  for 
the  printing  department  of  a  paper  box  plant  where 
bronzing  is  done  to  a  considerable  extent.  The  ma- 
chine dusts  the  sheets  in  addition  to  applying  the 
bronze,  and  no  hand  work  is  necessary  other  than 


Puchs  &  Lang-  Manufacturing  Co.  Bronzing-  Machine. 

feeding  the  sheets  into  the  bronzing  machine.  The 
time-saving  method  of  transferring  the  sheets  from 
the  press  to  the  bronzer,  mentioned  in  the  foregoing 
paragraphs,  makes  it  possible  to  operate  the  bronzing 
machine  without  a  feeder.  The  conveyor  system  is  a 
comparatively  new  idea,  however,  and  the  concern  re- 
ferred to  had  the  device  built  on  special  order.  There 


i8i 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


is  no  reason  why  any  box-maker  could  not  have  the 
same  kind  of  device  built  for  his  purpose. 

There  are  several  good  bronzing  machines  on  the 
market,  and  one  of  the  most  popular  machines  of  this 
kind  is  made  by  the  Fuchs  &  Lang  Manufacturing 
Company,  of  New  York  City.  This  concern  also  sup- 
plies all  kinds  of  bronze  powders  in  all  shades,  bronze 
sizes,  and  all  colors  of  regular  printing  inks. 

Practically  all  of  the  printing  ink  manufacturers 
will  supply  bronze  powders  and  bronz^e  sizes  in  any 
quantity  desired. 

PRINTING  IN  GOLD  SIZE  FOR  BRONZING  ON  BOX  WRAPPERS 

The  printing  plate,  or  form  of  type,  is  locked  up 
in  a  chase  in  the  same  way  as  any  other  form  for 
printing.  Gold  size — a  special  printing  ink  having  a 
''tacky"  body,  and  usually  light  brown  in  color — is  put 
on  the  press.  If  the  run  is  to  be  a  long  one,  say  5,000 
impressions  or  more,  the  size  should  be  applied  by 
means  of  an  ink  fountain  which  will  insure  an  even 
flow  of  color. 

Making  ready  for  a  form  of  this  class  is  not  diffi- 
cult. The  tympan  may  consist  of  half  a  dozen  sheets 
of  news  or  book  paper,  a  sheet  of  fuller  board  (or 
binders'  board),  and  one  top-sheet  of  heavy  manila 
paper.  The  fuller  board  should  be  placed  directly  un- 
der the  Manila  top-sheet,  and  the  sheets  of  news  or 
book  paper  should  be  placed  underneath  the  fuller 
board.  This  is  called  a  ''hard"  tympan,  and  it  will 
give  better  results  in  the  printing  than  a  "soft"  tym- 


182 


BRONZING  ON  BOX  WRAPPERS 


pan.  Start  the  make-ready  with  a  weak  impression, 
and  then  add  sheets  of  news  or  book  paper,  under- 
neath the  fuller  board,  until  the  subject  prints  sharply 
and  distinctly  on  the  stock  used  for  the  wrappers. 

Highly  glazed  paper  is  generally  used  for  box- 
wrappers  which  are  to  be  bronzed,  and  the  heavy  size 
will  often  ''lift"  or  ''pick"  the  glazed  surface  of  the 
stock  in  printing.  To  overcome  this  trouble,  add  a 
few  drops  of  boiled  linseed  oil  to  the  size,  or  a  few 
drops  of  oo  reducing  varnish.  Any  of  the  printing 
ink  manufacturers  can  supply  a  reducing  preparation 
for  this  purpose.  Only  a  few  drops  of  the  reducer 
should  be  added  to  a  quantity  of  the  size  as  the  size 
will  not  hold  the  bronze  powder  when  made  too  thin. 

As  the  sheets  are  printed  with  the  size,  the  bronze 
powder  should  be  applied  immediately.  No  more  than 
a  dozen  or  so  sheets  should  be  printed  ahead  of  the 
bronzing.  Carry  merely  enough  size  on  the  press  to 
cause  the  type-form  or  plate  to  print  clearly.  An  ex- 
tra-heavy flow  of  color  will  retard  drying  and  will 
cause  a  wastage  of  the  bronze  powder. 

Bronzing  may  be  done  in  rich-gold,  pale  gold,  sil- 
ver, green,  red,  etc.  Rich-gold  bronze  powder  is  the 
most  used  for  box  wrappers.  Fancy  labels  for  per- 
fume bottles,  face  powder  boxes,  etc.,  are  often  bronzed 
in  green  or  red  in  addition  to  gold  and  silver. 

Special  bronze  size,  of  the  one  color,  will  do  for 
all  colors  of  bronze. 

BURNISHING 

When  it  is  desirable  to  have  a  brilliant  polish  on 

183 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


bronzed  subjects  of  box  wrappers,  burnishing  is  done 
as  follows : 

After  the  wrappers  have  been  sized  and  bronzed, 
and  after  the  printing  is  thoroughly  dry,  the  rollers 
and  disc  (or  cylinder)  of  the  press  are  washed  clean 
of  the  size.  We  refer  to  the  same  press  which  has 
handled  the  form  for  the  bronzing  in  question.  The 
rollers  are  then  removed.  About  four  extra  sheets 
of  news  or  book  paper  are  placed  in  the  tympan,  again 
underneath  the  fuller  board,  so  as  to  make  a  stronger 
impression.  The  same  plate  or  form  of  type  which 
has  been  used  for  the  size  remains  on  the  press.  The 
bronzed  sheets  are  then  run  through  the  press  for  the 
second  time,  feeding  them  to  close  register.  This  sec- 
ond ''inkless"  printing  causes  the  plate  or  type-form 
to  polish  the  bronzed  subject  on  the  sheets. 

PRINTING  IN  GOLD  INK 

Several  of  the  leading  printing  ink  manufacturers 
are  now  making  a  special  gold  ink  which  gives  a  close 
imitation  of  gold  bronzing.  The  Sleight  Metallic  Ink 
Company,  of  Philadelphia,  is  supplying  an  excellent 
gold  ink  which  is  particularly  adapted  to  glazed  paper. 
This  ink  is  furnished  in  the  form  of  a  liquid  and  a 
bronze  powder,  and  the  printer  mixes  a  fresh  quantity 
of  the  gold  ink  for  each  job. 

Printing  in  gold  ink  is  done  in  the  same  way  as 
other  printing,  with  the  exception  of  having  rather  a 
light  impression,  and  the  inking  apparatus  must  be  ab- 
solutely clean  before  the  gold  ink  is  put  on.  Rollers 

184 


GOLD-LEAFING  FOR  WRAPPERS 


containing  traces  of  regular  printing  ink,  oil  or  grease, 
will  seriously  affect  the  quality  of  the  gold  ink.  Heavy 
impression  will  cause  the  subject  to  press  deeply  into 
the  paper,  and  this  in  turn  will  cause  the  gold  ink  to 
present  a  "ragged"  appearance  at  the  edges  of  type 
characters,  rules,  borders,  etc.  A  light  impression  al- 
lows just  the  right  amount  of  gold  ink  to  transfer  to 
the  surface  of  the  paper. 

When  printing  a  long  run  of  paper  with  gold  ink, 
the  rollers  and  other  inking  parts  of  the  press  should 
be  washed  about  every  two  hours.  Fresh  color  is  then 
put  on,  and  this  helps  in  keeping  a  bright  color. 

GOLD  LEAFING  FOR  BOX  WRAPPERS 

Gold  leafing  for  printed  designs  on  box  wrappers 
may  be  done  with  the  aid  of  a  platen  press  as  follows : 

First,  a  special  size,  made  especially  for  gold  leaf- 
ing, is  required,  and  this  size  can  be  obtained  from  any 
of  the  leading  printing-ink  manufacturers.  This  size 
is  used  on  the  press  in  the  same  way  as  size  for 
bronzing. 

The  gold  leaf  layers,  as  they  are  called  in  the 
trade,  work  on  a  table  arranged  near  the  press  on 
which  the  printing  is  being  done.  As  the  printed 
sheets  are  laid  on  the  table,  single  sheets  of  the  gold 
leaf  are  ''shaken"  from  the  books  containing  the  gold 
leaf,  and  the  leaf  is  laid  over  the  printed  detail  so 
accurately  that  all  parts  of  the  printed  design  are  mi- 
nutely covered.  When  one  sheet  of  gold  leaf  is  not 
large  enough  to  cover  all  of  the  detail,  another  sheet  is 
used  to  complete  the  work. 

185 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


After  the  gold  leaf  has  been  applied  to  the  wrap- 
pers, some  workers  employ  a  common  clothes  wringer 
in  making  the  gold  leaf  adhere  firmly  to  the  printed 
detail.  The  wrappers  are  simply  run  through  the  rol- 
lers of  the  clothes  wringer  under  heavy  pressure. 

Loose  portions  of  the  gold  leaf  are  not  rubbed  oflf 
the  wrapper  until  after  the  printing  is  thoroughly  dry. 

Another  method  of  making  the  gold  leaf  hold 
firmly  to  the  size  is  in  running  the  wrappers  through 
the  printing  press  after  the  leaf  has  been  laid.  In  this 
case,  a  quantity  of  blank  sheets  of  news  or  book  paper 
are  essential.  The  wrapper  containing  gold  leaf  is 
again  placed  in  the  press,  close  to  the  feeding  guides, 
and  over  the  detail,  or  gold-leafed  design,  a  sheet  of 
the  blank  paper  is  spread.  An  impression  of  the  form 
is  then  taken  on  the  blank  sheet,  causing  the  gold  leaf 
to  press  firmly  to  the  size.  This  is  said  to  be  the  best 
process  for  gold  leafing  with  the  aid  of  a  platen  press. 

After  running  the  gold-leafed  sheets  through  the 
rollers  of  a  clothes  wringer,  or  for  the  second  time 
through  a  printing  press,  in  the  manner  described, 
loose  portions  of  the  gold  leaf  are  rubbed  ofif  the  sheets 
with  a  piece  of  raw  cotton. 

In  gold  leafing  of  this  class,  the  wrappers  are 
usually  embossed  after  the  gold  leafing  has  been  done, 
producing  a  beautiful  efifect  with  the  detail  of  the  sub- 
ject standing  up  in  bold  relief. 

EMBOSSING  ON   PLATEN  PRESSES 

Both  hot  and  cold  embossing  can  be  done  success- 
i86 


EMBOSSING  ON  PLATEN  PRESSES 


fully  on  regular  platen  presses  of  the  Hartford  and 
John  Thomson  type,  although  there  are  special  emboss- 
ing presses  made  especially  for  the  work. 

The  National  Machine  Company,  of  Hartford, 
Conn.,  are  making  the  ''Hartford  Electric  Embossing 
Plate  Heater,"  which  may  be  used  on  all  styles  of 


Hartford  Electric  Embossing  Plate  Heater. 

platen  presses  for  hot  embossing.  As  indicated  by  its 
name,  the  Hartford  Electric  Heater,  while  on  the 
press,  is  heated  by  electric  current  supplied  from  the 
regular  wiring  system  in  the  plant.  The  female  die, 
or  several  female  dies,  are  attached  to  the  surface 
plate  of  the  Hartford  Electric  Heater  by  means  of 
Bunter-Post  Registering  Screws.  By  moving  these 
screws,  the  die  or  number  of  dies  may  be  placed  in  any 
position  desired. 

Hot  (electric)  embossing  will  produce  more  per- 
fect effects  than  ordinary  cold  embossing,  although 

187 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


cold  embossing  is  good  enough  for  the  purpose  of  box 
wrappers  in  many  instances. 

It  should  be  understood  that  the  Hartford  Electric 
Heater  will  do  for  both  hot  and  cold  embossing,  as  it 
is  an  excellent  device  for  holding  and  registering 
embossing  plates. 

Cold  embossing  means  simply  that  no  heat  is 
applied  to  the  embossing  plates. 

The  embossing  plate,  or  female  die,  is  usually 
made  of  brass,  and  it  contains  an  intaglio  reproduction 
of  the  printed  subject  which  is  to  be  embossed.  When 
the  embossing  plate  is  to  be  used  on  a  platen  press  in 
the  same  way  as  a  form  of  type,  the  plate  is  made  type- 
high  and  is  locked  up  in  a  chase  with  furniture  and 
quoins  in  the  usual  manner.  When  the  embossing 
plate  is  to  be  attached  to  a  patented  base,  like  the  Hart- 
ford Electric  Heater,  the  plate  is  not  made  type-high, 
but  just  high  enough  to  allow  for  the  thickness  of  the 
patented  base. 

MAKING  THE  MALE  DIE,  OR  COUNTER  DIE,  FOR  EITHER 
HOT  OR  COLD  EMBOSSING 

The  male  die,  or  counter  die,  for  either  hot  or  cold 
embossing,  is  made  in  the  same  way,  as  follows : 

First,  the  inking  rollers  are  removed  from  the 
press.  A  regular  embossing  press,  of  course,  has  no 
inking  rollers. 

Second,  the  chase  (or  patented  base)  containing 
the  female  die  is  placed  on  the  press.  If  an  electric 
heater  is  used,  the  electric  current  is  turned  on  imme- 

i88 


EMBOSSING  ON  PLATEN  PRESSES 


diately  so  that  the  embossing  plate  will  become  heated 
while  the  counter  die  is  being  made. 

Third,  all  tympan  sheets  are  removed  from  the 
platen  of  the  press,  and  in  place  of  these  a  sheet  of 
straw-board  or  news-board,  about  one  inch  larger  on 
all  four  edges  than  the  sheet  that  is  to  be  embossed, 
is  glued  to  the  surface  of  the  platen  with  LePage  glue. 

Both  platen  printing  presses  and  regular  emboss- 
ing presses  of  the  Hartford  or  John  Thomson  type 
have  removable  steel  platen  plates  which  are  used  for 
either  cutting  and  creasing  work,  or  embossing  work. 
The  counter  die  is  made  ready  on  the  platen  plate 
instead  of  being  made  ready  directly  on  the  platen  of 
the  press.  When  printing  is  done  on  a  Hartford  or 
John  Thomson  press — a  printing  press — the  steel 
platen  plate  (held  by  countersunk  screws)  is  removed. 

On  all  other  platen  printing  presses  there  is  no 
removable  steel  platen  plate,  and  when  cutting  and 
creasing,  or  embossing,  is  to  be  done,  the  counter  die 
is  made  directly  on  the  platen. 

In  all  cases  of  cutting  and  creasing,  or  embossing, 
a  sheet  of  straw-board  of  news-board  is  glued  to  either 
the  platen  of  the  press,  or  to  the  steel  platen  plate,  as 
the  case  may  be.  The  counter  die  is  then  constructed 
on  this  sheet  of  straw-board  or  news-board. 

Fourth,  the  next  step  in  making  a  counter-die  for 
embossing  is  inking  the  face  of  the  female  die  with 
black  printing  ink,  applying  the  ink  with  a  hand  roller, 
and  then  printing  an  impression  of  the  female  die  on 

189 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


the  sheet  of  straw-board  or  newsboard.  This  im- 
pression will  show  where  the  embossing  composition 
is  to  be  placed. 

EMBOSSING  COMPOUND 

There  are  several  good,  ''home-made''  embossing 
compounds  in  use  which  will  give  first  class  results. 

One  compound  is  made  of  sodium  silicate,  Ala- 
bastine,  and  a  small  quantity  of  LePage  glue,  all  mixed 
together  to  form  a  body  like  soft  putty. 

Another  compound  is  made  of  sodium  silicate^ 
carbonated  magnesia,  and  a  small  portion  of  LePage 
Glue,  mixed  to  the  consistency  of  soft  putty. 

An  ordinary  compound  for  a  small  counter  die 
and  a  short  run  of  embossing  can  be  made  of  LePage 
glue,  a  small  portion  of  sodium  silicate,  and  plaster  of 
Paris. 

The  first-mentioned  compound  is  the  best  for 
heavy  counter  dies  and  long  runs. 

Fifth,  after  the  compound  has  been  mixed  with 
the  aid  of  a  printers'  pallet  knife,  a  thick  layer  of  the 
composition  is  spread  over  the  printed  subject  on  the 
straw-board  or  news  board.  Roughly,  this  layer  of 
composition  should  be  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
thick.  Over  this  lay  a  sheet  of  French  folio  paper. 
Work  rapidly  so  that  the  composition  will  not  harden 
before  an  impression  of  the  female  die  is  taken  on  it. 

Sixth,  take  a  second  sheet  of  French  folio — a  full 
size  sheet — and  lay  this  over  the  first  sheet,  iiolding  an 
end  of  the  second  sheet  of  French  folio  in  the  right 

190 


MAKING  READY  EMBOSSINCx  DIES 


hand  as  an  impression  is  taken.  Now  run  the  press 
slowly  and  pull  half-a-dozen  more  impressions  on  the 
large,  loose  sheet  of  French  folio,  moving  the  sheet 
slightly  as  each  impression  is  taken.  The  raised  de- 
tail of  the  counter  die  should  by  this  time  stand  up 
sharply. 

Seventh,  with  a  sharp  make-ready  knife  cut  away 
all  parts  of  the  embossing  composition  which  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  detail  of  the  subject.  In  other 
words,  scrape  away  all  composition  which  forms  the 
blank  edges  of  the  counter  die,  working  close  to  the 
raised  detail  of  the  subject. 

Near  the  raised,  detail  of  the  subject,  cut  away 
the  composition  on  a  bevel. 

Eighth,  run  the  press  at  regular  speed  for  about 
five  minutes,  allowing  all  of  the  fine  lines  in  the  fe- 
male die  to  work  up  as  perfectly  as  possible.  After 
the  detail  has  been  ''pounded  up"  sharply  in  this  way, 
stop  the  press  and  with  make-ready  knife  clear  away 
any  additional  composition  which  may  have  "squeezed 
out"  from  the  detail  into  the  flat  edges  of  the  counter 
die. 

Ninth,  take  still  another  sheet  of  French  folio, 
large  enough  in  size  to  cover  the  entire  counter  die, 
including  blank  edges.  Cover  one  side  of  this  sheet 
with  a  thin  film  of  LePage  glue,  and  then  glue  this 
sheet  over  the  surface  of  the  counter  die.  Take  a 
number  of  impressions  on  this  final  sheet  so  that  all 
detail  will  again  work  up  sharply. 


191 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Tenth,  the  counter  die  is  now  complete.  Allow  it 
to  stand  and  harden  for  a  couple  of  hours  before  going 
ahead  with  the  regular  embossing. 

REGULATING  IMPRESSION 

On  either  platen  printing  presses  or  regular  em- 
bossing presses  of  the  Hartford  or  John  Thomson 
type  the  impression  can  be  regulated  by  means  of  the 
adjustable  slides  and  nuts  which  hold  the  throw-off 
bar  in  place.  These  slides  are  held  with  bolts  in 
notches,  and  by  loosening  the  bolts,  the  slides  can  be 
moved  upward  or  downward  in  their  notches,  thereby 
increasing  or  lessening  the  amount  of  impression  for 
each  job.  Before  making  a  counter  die  on  either  a 
Hartford  or  John  Thomson  press,  first  put  on  the 
steel  platen  plate ;  glue  on  the  sheet  of  straw-board, 
and  then  regulate  the  impression  by  means  of  the 
slides  holding  the  throw-ofif  bar.  By  inking  and  re- 
inking  the  female  die,  and  by  taking  impressions  of 
the  die,  on  a  sheet  of  news-board,  the  right  amount 
of  impression  can  be  obtained  (moving  the  slides 
accordingly),  before  applying  the  embossing  composi- 
tion. 

On  other  styles  of  printing  presses  like  the  C.  & 
P.,  for  example,  the  impression  screws  should  not  be 
moved,  but  with  a  Golding  press  the  impression  can 
be  adjusted  with  the  screws  which  are  at  the  right- 
hand  side  of  the  platen. 

In  a  case  of  embossing  where  it  is  not  advisable 
to  move  the  impression  screws,  it  may  be  necessary 

192 


SETTING  THE  FEEDING  GUIDES 


to  glue  two  or  more  sheets  of  straw-board  or  news- 
])oard  to  the  platen  to  obtain  sufficient  impression  be- 
fore applying  the  embossing  composition. 

The  feeding  guides  for  close-register  embossing 
can  be  made  of  three-em  12-point  quads.  Attach  the 
quads  with  LePage  glue  to  the  fomidation  board,  fol- 
lowing the  same  positions  held  by  the  feeding  guides 
which  had  been  used  when  the  sheets  were  printed. 
This  helps  in  making  perfect  register  of  the  embossing 
with  the  printed  subject.  When  printing  the  sheets, 
mark  the  positions  of  the  feeding  guides  on  one  of  the 
printed  sheets.  Use  this  marked  sheet,  and  follow 
the  marks,  when  placing  the  feeding  guides  for  em- 
bossing. 

Rub  the  quads  over  a  sheet  of  fine  sand-paper  be- 
fore applying  glue.  This  rovighens  the  surface  of  the 
quads  and  helps  the  glue  to  hold  them  firmly  to  the 
foundation  board. 

The  embossing  process  described  in  the  fore- 
going is  used  for  embossing  all  kinds  of  printed  and 
lithographed  matter  on  either  paper  or  cardboard. 
When  box  wrappers  containing  holly  designs  printed 
in  colors,  or  lettering  done  in  gold  ink,  gold  leaf  or 
gold  bronze,  are  embossed  after  being  printed,  the 
efifect  is  exceedingly  beautiful.  In  the  cases  of  gold 
ink,  gold  leaf,  or  gold  bronze,  the  embossing  not  only 
raises  the  design  in  sharp  relief  but  also  serves  in 
polishing  the  gold  in  the  same  way  as  burnishing. 


193 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


SPECIAL  PROCESS  FOR  PRINTING  GLAZED  WRAPPERS 

When  printing  plates  or  type  forms  on  highly 
glazed  paper,  for  box  wrappers,  labels,  etc.,  a  beau- 
tiful, imitation  of  lithography  may  be  had  by  following 
this  process : 

Add  to  either  black  or  blue  ink  a  small  quantity 
of  German  blue  powder — the  kind  that  is  carried  by  a. 
first  class  drug  store  but  not  the  kind  that  is  furnished 
by  the  average  paint  dealer.  The  genuine  German 
blue  powder  will  prevent  black  or  blue  printing  ink 
from  ''picking"  or  'iifting"  the  surface  of  glazed 
paper  in  the  printing,  no  matter  how  bold  the  face 
of  the  plate  or  type  may  be.  The  German  blue  powder 
also  produces  a  soft,  dull-finish  effect  in  the  print- 
ing which  makes  the  work  appear  like  lithography. 

Add  to  any  shade  of  red  ink  a  small  quantity  of 
Vermilion  powder  for  the  same  purposes  mentioned. 
Vermilion  powder  will  also  do  for  any  shade  of  brown 
printing  ink. 

Add  to  any  shade  of  green  ink  a  small  quantity 
of  Paris  green  powder. 

When  adding  any  of  the  powders  mentioned  to 
the  printing  ink,  use  a  printers'  pallet  knife  for  mix- 
ing the  powder  into  the  ink.  The  mixing  should  be 
done  on  a  small  sheet  of  glass  or  on  a  stone. 

If  the  printing  ink  is  too  heavy  in  body  after  the 
powder  has  been  added,  a  small  quantity  of  reducer 
will  be  needed.  Paste  dryer,  or  a  few  drops  of  kero- 
sene will  do. 


194 


IMITATION  STEEL  DIE  STAMPING 


Use  a  ''hard"  tympan  for  the  make-ready,  and 
do  not  allow  the  press  to  stand  idle  for  a  long  time, 
as  this  kind  of  printing  ink  dries  rapidly  on  the  press 
as  well  as  on  the  stock. 

IMITATION  STEEL  DIE  STAMPING 

Many  wrappers  for  candy  boxes,  jewelry  boxes, 
etc.  have  the  business  card  die-stamped  upon  them,  the 
stamping  being  done  from  steel  dies  on  power  plate 
printing  and  die  stamping  presses.  During  the  last 
few  years,  however,  a  special  process  has  been  per- 
fected for  producing  imitation  steel  die  stamping  and 
embossing  on  regular  platen  printing  presses  from 
type  forms  or  line  engravings. 

This  new  process  calls  for  special  printing  inks 
and  powders,  and  also  for  a  patented  machine  on  which 
the  freshly  printed  sheets  are  "powdered"  and  heated, 
causing  the  printed  subject  to  stand  up  in  relief  in 
the  same  way  as  steel  die  stamping  or  embossing. 
Numerous  box-makers  are  now  using  this  process  in 
connection  with  the  work  of  printing  box  wrappers 
of  the  better  grade. 

With  this  process  the  sheets  are  first  printed  in 
the  same  manner  as  ordinary  printing,  in  black,  color, 
gold  or  silver,  using  the  special  compound  instead  of 
ordinary  printing  ink  or  size.  As  the  sheets  are  printed 
they  are  fed  one  at  a  time  into  the  powdering  hopper 
of  the  patented  embossing  machine.  In  the  hopper 
is  a  granulated  resinous  compound  which  adhers  to 
the  printed  detail.    As  the  sheets  are  taken  from  the 


195 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


hopper  they  are  placed  on  a  conveyor  which  carries 
them  through  a  heating  oven,  fusing  the  powder  with 
the  ink,  and  causing  the  printing  to  raise  like  em- 
bossed or  die-stamped  work.  The  entire  operation  is 
very  simple  and  the  results  are  satisfactory. 

There  are  several  patented  ''imitation''  emboss- 
ing processes  now  in  use  and  one  of  the  most  efficient 
is  that  supplied  by  A.  Stokes  &  Co.,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
This  machine  is  called  the  ''Stokes'  Process  Embossing 
Machine,  Model  C,"  and  it  will  handle  sheets  up  to  17 
inches  wide.  The  Stokes  Co.  furnish  complete  instruc- 
tions and  all  inks,  powders,  etc.,  necessary  for  this 
process. 

One  of  the  best  printing  ink  reducers  on  the  mar- 
ket is  called  "Reducol,"  made  by  the  Indiana  Chemical 
and  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  Indianapolis,  Ind.  Re- 
ducol  is  particularly  adapted  to  all  kinds  of  printing 
inks  used  on  glazed  paper. 

PATENTED  PRINTING  PLATE  BASE  FOR  CYLINDER  PRESSES 

Large-size  cartons  for  cereals,  coffee,  tea,  medicine 
bottles,  etc.,  are  printed  from  electrotype  plates  on  cyl- 
inder presses,  and  many  of  such  cartons  are  printed 
in  several  different  colors.  As  many  as  a  dozen  or 
more  different  plates  are  printed  from  at  one  time,  the 
stock  being  cut  into  smaller  sizes  after  having  been 
printed,  cut  and  creased.  Cutting  and  creasing  for 
large  sheets  of  this  kind  are  done  on  other  cylinder 
presses  like  the  Walter  Scott  cylinder  press,  for  ex- 
ample. 


196 


BASES  FOR  PRINTING  PLATES 


Usually,  the  printing  plates  for  work  of  this  class 
are  attached  to  patented  base,  instead  of  being  locked 
up  in  forms  in  the  ordinary  manner.  The  patented 
base  allows  for  rapid  adjustment  of  the  printing  plates 
for  close  register  color  printing. 

The  Uprightgrain  Printing  Bases,  made  by  J.  W. 
Pitt,  Inc.,  of  Bath,  N.  Y.,  are  useful  and  economical 
for  all  classes  of  folding  box  printing,  and  this  base  is 
now  being  used  in  a  large  number  of  box-making 
plants. 

The  Wesel  Printing  Base  system,  made  by  F. 
Wesel  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  is  an- 
other good  base  that  is  adapted  to  the  highest  grade 
of  register  color  printing. 

When  imposing  large  forms  of  half  tones  or  elec- 
trotype plates  on  patented  base,  no  regular  printers' 
furniture  is  required,  and  the  plates  are  placed  in  the 
necessary  positions  in  very  short  time. 


197 


CHAPTER  XII 


CORRUGATED  PAPER  PRODUCTS  AND  PAPER  CANS 

NOTHER  important  branch  of  the  paper  box 


jT"^  manufacturing  industry  is  that  which  is  devoted 
to  corrugated  paper  products.  This  is  a  very  large 
branch  of  the  industry  and  it  is  constantly  growing 
and'  expanding.  With  the  perfection  of  paper  cans 
and  big  shipping  boxes  made  of  paper,  new  fields  of 
tremendous  proportions  have  been  opened  to  the  man- 
ufacturers, and  the  future  for  this  business  is  glowing 
with  possibilities.  The  day  may  come  when  ordinary 
wooden  shipping  boxes  and  tin  cans  will  be  "ghosts  of 
the  past." 

Today  we  see  hundreds  of  different  kinds  of 
merchandise  packed  in  large-size  corrugated  paper 
boxes — the  same  kinds  of  merchandise  which  in  other 
times  had  been  packed  in  wooden  boxes.  Today  we 
see  many  different  kinds  of  food,  powders,  liquids, 
etc.,  packed  in  paper  cans — the  same  variety  of  goods 
which  formerly  had  been  packed  in  tin  cans.  Every 
day  brings  new  uses  for  corrugated  paper  boxes,  and 
also  for  paper  cans.  During  the  last  year  or  two 
orders  for  these  products  have  been  increasing  so 
rapidly  that  some  of  the  manufacturers  have  been  un- 
able to  keep  up  with  the  demand.  ^ 


199 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Corrugated  paper  boxes  are  now  being  used  in 
place  of  wooden  boxes  for  such  a  great  variety  of 
merchandise  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  enumerate 
all  the  uses.  For  example,  the  standard  slotted  carton 
is  made  in  different  sizes  up  to  a  size  where  the  gross 
weight  of  the  box  and  contents  amount  to  90  pounds, 
and  where  the  dimensions  of  the  box,  with  length, 
width  and  depth  added,  are  70  inches.  A  corrugated 
box  of  this  size  will  be  accepted  for  freight  shipment. 
Some  of  the  articles  which  a  slotted  carton  may  be 
used  for  are :  books,  boots  and  shoes,  butter,  canned 
goods  in  glass  or  tin,  cereals,  cigars  and  cigarettes, 
coffee  and  tea,  collars  and  cuffs,  confections,  dry  goods 
and  clothing,  electric  lamps,  glassware,  hardware,  mat- 
tresses, patent  medicines,  small  furniture,  shirts,  toys, 
soap,  etc.  For  certain  articles,  like  mattresses,  for 
example,  the  dimensions  of  a  corrugated  box  may  be 
as  great  as  100  inches  for  acceptable  freight  shipment. 

Some  of  the  advantages  of  these  large  corrugated 
shipping  containers  over  ordinary  wooden  boxes  are : 
light  weight,  the  prevention  of  breakage  to  contents, 
water  and  air-tight,  easier  to  close  and  open  and  easier 
to  handle  by  all  concerned.  On  account  of  the  corru- 
gated container  being  firmly  sealed  with  tape,  the  box 
is  practically  safe  from  freight  robbers  who  find  it  an 
easy  matter  to  ''lift''  the  cover-boards  of  a  wooden, 
nailed  box.  This  is  one  of  the  many  reasons  why 
corrugated  containers  are  now  being  used  extensively 
for  export  shipments. 


200 


MAKING  PAPER  CANS 


Paper  cans  are  now  being  used  in  place  of  tin 
cans  for  cereals,  tea  and  coffee,  spices,  baking  powder, 
cleansing  powder,  tobacco,  snuff,  salt,  gas  mantles. 


Paper  Cans  and  Cores  made  on  Lang-ston  equipment. 


drugs,  etc.  Paper  cans  are  more  economical  than  tin 
cans ;  are  more  sanitary,  lighter  in  weight,  and  are 
easier  to  open  by  the  consumer. 

THE  MAKING  OF  PAPER  CANS 

The  mechanical  equipment  necessary  for  a  me- 
mium-size  plant  for  making  all  kinds  of  paper  cans, 
mailing  tubes,  cores  for  toilet  paper,  etc.,  is  as  follows : 
One  slitter  and  rewinder,  one  spiral  tube  winder,  one 


20 1 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


tube  cutter,  one  moistener,  one  double-acting  punch 
press  with  automatic  feeder. 

For  the  manufacture  of  paper  cans  with  tin  tops 
and  bottoms,  the  following  additional  equipment  would 
be  essential :  One  single-acting  press,  one  crimping 
machine. 

All  of  these  machines,  and  also  accessories,  tools, 
and  extra  parts,  are  manufactured  by  the  Samuel  M. 
Langston  Company,  of  Camden,  N.  J.,  and  other  well- 
known  concerns  who  make  a  specialty  of  paper  can 
machinery.  The  Westchester  Machine  Sales  Co.,  of 
New  York  City,  is  manufacturing  a  paper  can  seamer, 
used  for  attaching  tin  tops  or  bottoms  to  spiral  or 
straight  wound  paper  cans.  The  Max  Ams  Machine 
Company,  of  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  is  specializing  in  ma- 
chines used  for  attaching  ends  to  round,  oval  or  oblong 
fibre  containers. 

THK  SIvlTTKR  AND  REWINDER 

(Note:  Every  different  diameter  of  a  paper  can 
requires  a  different  diameter  mandrel  for  both  the 
tube  winder  and  the  tube  cutter,  also  a  different  size 
die  for  the  cover  and  bottom.) 

The  large  paper  manufacturers — those  who  spe- 
cialize in  coarse  papers — supply  various  kinds  of  paper 
in  large  rolls  which  is  suitable  for  the  making  of  paper 
cans.  The  Langston  slitter  and  rewinder  will  handle 
a  roll  of  paper  any  width  up  to  48  inches  (according 
to  the  width  of  the  machine)  and  will  cut  this  paper 


202 


 SLITTING  AND  RE-WINDING  

and  rewind  it  into  small  rolls  from  one  and  one-half 
inches  to  six  inches  wide.  These  small  rolls  are  then 
ready  for  the  tube  winder. 


Langston  Type  "B"  Slitter  and  Rewinder. 


THE  SPIRAIv  TUBE  WINDER 

The  Langston  spiral  tube  winder  will  take  two, 
three  or  more  small  rolls  of  paper,  from  one  and  one- 
half  inches  to  six  inches  wide  each,  and  will  contin- 
uously w^ind  and  glue  the  rolls  of  paper  into  long 
tubes,  of  any  diameter  (according  to  the  mandrel 
used),  from  three-fourths  of  an  inch  to  six  inches  in 
diameter.  This  machine  also  cuts  the  long  tubes  into 
any  desired  lengths  from  ii  to  40  inches. 


203 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Langston  Spiral  Tube  Winding  Machine. 


THE  tube:  cutter 

The  long  tubes  made  on  the  tube  winder,  up  to 
39  inches  long,  are  placed  on  the  tube  cutter  which 
cuts  the  tubes  with  a  clean  edge  to  any  lengths  wanted. 


Langston  Tube  Cutter. 


204 


MAKING  PAPER  CANS 


THE  MOISTENER 
The  paper  which  is  to  be  used  for  tops  and  bot- 
toms of  paper  cans,  must  be  moistened  before  going 
to  the  punch  press.  The  Langston  moistener  takes  a 
roll  of  paper,  cuts  it  to  the  proper  width,  treats  it  with 
a  solution  of  soap  and  water,  and  rewinds  the  paper 
ready  for  the  punch  press. 

THE  D0UBI,E-ACTING  PUNCH  PRESS 

Rtoistened  rolls  of  paper  are  placed  on  the  double- 
acting  punch  press  (Langston)  and  the  machine  auto- 


Lang-ston  Double-Acting-  Punch  Press. 


205 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


matically  dies  out  and  draws  up  the  paper  in  the  form 
of  lids  and  bottoms  for  the  paper  cans. 

THE  CRIMPING  OR  SEAMING  MACHINE 

This  device  is  used  for  attaching  tin  bottoms,  or 
sifter-tops,  to  paper  cans  such  as  are  made  for  hold- 
ing scouring  powders,  etc.  This  same  machine  may  be 
used  for  bending  over  or  shaping  paper  tops  and 
bottoms. 

THE  SINGI.E-ACTING  PUNCH  PRESS 

This  is  a  simple  construction  machine  made  by 
the  Langston  Company,  and  is  used  for  making  tin 
tops  and  bottoms  of  all  kinds  for  paper  cans. 

The  operation  of  any  of  the  machines  mentioned 
here  in  connection  with  the  making  of  paper  cans  is 
very  easy. 

The  spirally-wound  tube,  which  forms  the  body 
of  a  paper  can,  may  also  be  used  for  mailing  tubes, 
cores  for  tqilet  paper  and  cores  for  ribbon  and  thread. 

WATER-TIGHT  PAPER  CANS 

To  make  an  all-paper  can  water-tight,  submerge 
it  in  molten  paraffine,  or  pour  hot  paraffine  in  and  out 
of  the  can.  Paper,  paraffined  on  one  side,  may  be  run 
on  the  inside  or  on  the  outside  of  the  can,  or  both,  to 
produce  a  moisture-proof  container  which  will  hold 
semi-liquids  for  an  indefinite  time. 

Some  paper  cans  have  slip-on  covers  and  bottoms, 
others  have  the  top  and  bottom  crimped  on ;  others 
still  have  a  neck  for  the  lid.   Expensive  types  of  paper 

206 


CORRUGATED  PAPER  BOXES 


cans  have  spun-on  ends,  and  many  are  made  with 
screw-on  tin  tops. 

When  printed  or  Hthographed  wrappers  are  care- 
fully applied  to  the  paper  cans,  they  cannot  be  told 
from  regular  tin  cans.  Many  wrappers  for  paper  cans 
are  done  in  beautiful  colors. 

HOW  CORRUGATED  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 

There  are  three  different  kinds  of  corrugated 
paper  in  general  use,  and  many  of  the  larger  manu- 
facturers of  corrugated  paper  boxes  have  their  own 
machines  for  making  the  three  kinds  of  corrugated 
board  referred  to. 

Unlined  corrugated  paper  is  usually  made  of 
strawboard  and  is  used  for  lining,  covering  and  pad- 
ding. This  paper  is  exceedingly  useful  in  packing 
glass,  bottles,  and  other  breakable  goods,  being  used 
as  lining  and  padding  in  the  shipping  cases. 

Single-face  corrugated  paper  is  made  by  gluing  a 
liner,  or  sheet  of  strong  texture  paper  to  one  side  of 
the  corrugations.  The  corrugated  stock  is  made  of 
strawboard,  newsboard  or  chipboard,  and  the  liner 
may  be  of  heavy  manila,  news  or  chip  stock,  or  of 
other  kinds  of  coarse  paper  which  are  strong  in  tex- 
ture. The  standard  length  of  rolls  is  250  feet,  and  the 
standard  width  is  36  inches,  although  this  paper  is 
made  as  wide  as  48  inches.  Single-face  corrugated 
paper  is  used  for  making  tubes  for  holding  glass  ar- 


207 


I 

HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


Langston  Corrugating  Machine 


tides,  partitions  for  shipping  containers,  lining  for 
barrels  and  wood  boxes,  etc. 

Double-faced  corrugated  paper  consists  of  the 
corrugated  stock  and  two  flat  liners,  one  attached  to 
each  side  of  the  stock.  The  double-face  board  is 
stronger  than  any  other  board  of  the  same  weight, 
and  it  also  serves  as  a  cushion  whenever  anything 
comes  in  contact  with  it.    This  board  is  made  of 

208 


LANGSTON  CORRUGATING  MACHINE 


various  kinds  of  stock,  including  strawboard,  news 
and  chip,  and  the  facing  is  also  of  various  kinds  of 
strong  paper.  From  double- face  corrugated  paper  a 
great  variety  of  paper  boxes,  shipping  containers,  etc., 
are  constructed.  It  is  also  used  for  partitions,  liners, 
padding,  picture  backing,  and  as  protecting  boards  for 
mailing  printed  matter,  photographs,  etc. 

The  Samuel  M.  Langston  Co.,  of  Camden,  N.  J., 
is  a  large  manufacturer  of  all  kinds  of  machinery  for 
making  the  corrugated  board  and  its  products.  The 
Langston  corrugating  machine  for  single-faced  corru- 
gated paper  is  designed  to  make  the  single- faced  paper, 
complete,  in  big  rolls  of  250  feet  each.  The  corruga- 
tion is  formed  on  this  machine  under  pressure.  Ad- 
hesive sodium  silicate  is  applied  to  the  tops  of  the 
corrugated  paper  while  it  is  in  the  corrugating  roll, 
and  the  lining  sheet,  tempered  over  a  steam-heated 
roll,  is  stuck  to  the  corrugated  sheet  under  pressure- 
The  machine  is  equipped  with  a  steam  roll  for  moisten- 
ing and  heating  the  straw  sheet  before  it  enters  the 
corrugating  roll. 

The  Langston  combined  corrugator  and  double- 
facing  machine  takes  three  rolls  of  paper  and  produces 
in  continuous  operation  double-faced  corrugated 
board,  cut  into  sheets,  trimmed,  and  scored  one  way, 
if  desired.  It  is  equipped  with  a  ''Duplex"  cutter, 
making  it  possible  to  run  two  separate  orders,  each  of 
a  different  width  and  length,  side  by  side. 

Adhesive  sodium  silicate,  such  as  that  used  in  the 
209 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 

construction  of  corrugated  paper,  taping,  etc.,  is  sup- 
plied by  the  Central  Commercial  Co.,  of  Chicago,  or 
the  Grasselli  Chemical  Co.,  of  Cleveland,  O. 

ROTARY  CUTTING  AND  SCORING  MACHINES 

These  machines  are  used  for  cutting  and  creasing 
corrugated  board  to  any  size  needed  for  the  construc- 
tion of  corrugated  boxes  and  shipping  containers,  and 


S.  &  S.  Corrugated  Paper  Box  Machine  Co.   4-Bar  Rotary  Greaser 
and  Scorer. 

the  machines  are  made  in  various  sizes,  one  large 
enough  to  handle  a  sheet  122  inches  wide.  The  Rotary 
cutting  and  creasing  machine  is  made  by  the  Samuel 
M.  Langston  Co.,  of  Camden,  N.  J.,  and  machines  of 
the  same  style  are  also  made  by  the  Paper  Products 
Machinery  Co.,  Inc.,  of  Brooklyn,  N»  Y.,  and  the 
S.  &  S.  Corrugated  Paper  Machinery  Co.,  Inc.^  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  The  concerns  named  also  make  all 
kinds  of  machinery  for  corrugated  paper  box  plants. 


210 


MAKING  CORRUGATED  BOXES 


Lang-ston  Type  "B"  Cutter  and  Scorer. 

The  Operation  of  the  rotary  cutting  and  scoring 
machine  is  comparatively  simple,  and  the  cutting 
wheels  and  scoring  wheels  are  easily  adjusted  to  any 
position  wanted. 

THE  I.ANGSTON  CHOPPER 

This  machine,  built  by  the  Samuel  M.  Langston 
Co.,  of  Camden,  N.  J.,  is  a  combined  slitter,  scorer, 
chopper  and  re-winder,  and  is  designed  to  handle 
single-faced  corrugated  paper  from  the  rolL 

THE  IvANGSTON   CARTON  MACHINE 

This  device  produces  round,  square,  or  octagon 
shaped  shells  from  single-faced  corrugated  paper,  such 
as  are  used  as  slip-ons  over  bottles.  Round  shells, 
with  the  corrugation  running  lengthwise,  are  made  by 


211 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


feeding  into  the  machine  strips  of  corrugated  single- 
faced  paper,  which  are  folded  and  taped  only,  being 
cut  to  length  afterwards.  Another  style  of  Langston 
carton  machine  is  used  for  the  production  of  square, 
rectangular  of  octagon  shells,  which  are  folded,  taped 
and  cut  to  length  automatically. 

THE  SUTTER  AND  RE-WINDING  MACHINE 

Many  of  the  larger  plants  devoted  to  the  manu- 
facture of  corrugated  paper  boxes  are  equipped  with 
a  slitter  and  re-winding  machine  which  is  used  for 
transforming  the  large  rolls  of  corrugated  paper  into 


Regular  Slotted  Carton. 
212 


CORRUGATED  SHIPPING  CONTAINERS 


si'ialler  rolls  of  required  sizes.  The  Langston  surface 
or  drum  re-winder  and  slitter  is  one  of  the  best  ma- 
chiixes  of  th*s  class  on  the  market. 

REGUIvAR  SLOTTED  CARTONS 

The  regular  slotted  carton,  made  of  double-face 
corrugated  board,  is  designed  with  two  inner  flaps 
which  do  not  meet  at  the  center  when  folded,  and  also 
with  two  outer  flaps  which  do  meet  at  the  center  when 
folded.  This  is  one  of  the  most  popular  cartons  in 
general  use.  For  shipment,  the  regular  slotted  carton 
is  sealed  either  by  gluing  down  the  flaps,  or  by  cover- 
ing all  outer  joints,  openings  or  seams  with  paper 
sealing  tape. 


Center  Special  Slotted  Carton. 


213 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MA 


All  kinds  of  staying  material  and  paper  sealing 
tape,  as  used  for  sealing  corrugated  shipping  contain- 
ers, are  supplied  by  the  larger  manufacturers  of  paper 
box  machinery.  Many  of  the  paper  houses  also  carry 
this  line. 

CENTER  SPECIAI,  SI.OTTED  CARTON 

This  carton  is  much  the  same  as  the  regular  slotted 
carton,  only  the  two  inner  flaps  and  the  two  outer  flaps 
all  meet  at  the  center  when  folded,  forming  a  more 
solid  box,  top  and  bottom,  than  the  regular  slotted 
carton.  The  side  special  slotted  carton  is  made  on 
this  same  plan,  the  flaps  meeting  at  the  side  of  the  box. 

OVERFI.AP  SI.OTTED  CARTONS 

This  container  is  made  of  double-face  corrugated 
board,  and  has  four  flaps  at  the  top  and  bottom,  the 


Overflap  Slotted  Carton. 


214 


CORRUGATED  SHIPPING  CONTAINERS 


inner  flaps  not  quite  meeting  at  the  center  and  the 
outer  flaps  overlapping  about  two  inches. 

The  special  overlap  slotted  carton  is  practically 
the  same  design  with  the  exception  of  the  inner  flaps 
which  meet  at  the  center. 

t^ULL  F^LAP  SLOTTED  CARTONS 

To  provide  additional  strength  at  the  top  and  bot- 
tom, the  full  flap  slotted  carton  has  two  full-size  flaps 
at  the  top  and  bottom  which  cover  over  one  another. 
The  inner  flaps  do  not  altogether  meet  at  the  center. 


Full  Flap  Slotted  Carton.  ;, 

The  special  full  flap  slotted  carton  is  of  this  same 
plan,  only  the  inner  flaps  meet  at  the  center,  giving 

215 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


three  thicknesses  of  board  at  the  top  and  bottom  of 
the  box. 

HAI,I^  SI.OTTED  CARTON  WITH  SEPARATE  COVER 

Instead  of  having  four  flaps  at  the  top  and  bot- 
tom, the  half  slotted  carton  has  only  four  flaps  at  the 
bottom,  being  covered  by  a  separate  lid  in  the  same 
manner  as  a  set-up  paper  box.    The  cover  is  made  of 


Half  Slotted  Carton  with  Cover  Attached. 


the  same  kind  of  double-face  corrugated  board  as  the 
container,  and  the  corners  of  the  cover  are  stayed. 
The  flaps  at  the  bottom  are  sealed  with  sodium  silicate, 
or  the  joints  are  sealed  with  tape.  For  express  ship- 
ment, the  cover  may  be  tied  on.  For  freight  shipment, 
the  cover  should  be  glued  on,  and  completely  sealed  at 
the  edges  with  tape. 

216 


CORRUGATED  SHIPPING  CONTAINERS 

DOUBLE-WALI.  CARTON 

When  an  extra-strong  carton  is  needed,  the 
double-wall  box  is  recommended,  especially  for  articles 
in  glass  of  the  half-gallon  sizes.  This  box  is  of  the 
same  style  as  the  regular  slotted  carton  with  the  ex- 


Douole-Wall  Carton. 

ception  that  the  sides  and  flaps  are  double  thickness, 
made  of  one  sheet  of  double-face  corrugated  stock  and 
one  sheet  of  single-face  corrugated  board,  glued  to- 
gether. In  addition  to  being  used  for  glass  articles,  the 
double-wall  box  is  also  used  for  large  and  heavy  goods 
like  mattresses,  canned  goods,  etc. 


217 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


DOUBLE  COVER  BOX 

The  main  advantage  of  the  double  cover  box  is 
that  it  may  easily  be  cut  down  to  the  level  of  the  con- 
tents. The  part  of  the  body  which  has  been  cut  off 
may  be  used  as  a  box  for  other  goods.  Separate  cov- 
ers are  bought  by  the  user  and  applied  as  needed.  The 
body  of  this  type  of  box  is  made  of  a  single  piece  of 
double-face  corrugated  board,  stayed  at  one  corner. 


Double  Cover  Box. 

The  covers  overlap,  and  are  made  the  same  as  a  lid 
for  a  set-up  paper  box.  The  same  kind  of  cover  is 
used  for  both  the  top  and  the  bottom  of  'the  box,  and 
after  the  goods  have  been  packed,  the  two  covers  are 
glued  to  the  body  of  the  box  and  tape  is  wrapped 
around  the  edges  of  the  covers.  Or,  the  covers  may 
be  tied  on  in  addition  to  being  sealed  at  the  sides. 

218 


CORRUGATED  SHIPPING  CONTAINERS 


The  corners  of  the  covers  are  stayed  on  the  outside 
with  heavy  cloth  tape. 

This  style  of  box  is  popular  for  the  shipment  of 
millinery,  artificial  flowers,  men's  hats,  etc. 

TELESCOPE  BOX 

The  telescope  box  is  made  in  various  heights,  and 
consists  merely  of  two  sections  on  the  plan  of  box 
covers,  one  fitting  down  over  the  other.    The  corners 


J".'i^-.s«  Box. 


of  the  covers  are  stayed  with  cloth  tape.  Flat  telescope 
boxes  of  this  class  are  often  used  for  shipments  of 
books,  pictures,  lithographed  paper  cut-outs  and  sim- 
ilar articles. 


Double  Lined  Slide  Box. 


219 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


DOUBLE  LINED  SLIDE  BOX 

This  container  was  formerly  known  as  the 
''Three-Piece  Lambert  Box/'  and  is  composed  of  three 
separate  pieces.  When  put  together,  the  three  pieces 
of  this  box  provide  a  double  wall  of  corrugated  board 
on  every  side.  The  inner  slide  is  like  one  box  fitting 
within  the  other.  This  box  is  usually  made  in  small 
sizes  and  is  adapted  to  the  shipment  of  drugs,  dolls, 
toys,  novelties,  etc* 

SINGLE  LINED  SLIDE  BOX 

The  single  lined  slide  box  is  made  of  two  pieces 
of  corrugated  board,  and  it  does  not  contain  an  inner 
slide.  The  folding  cover  extends  down  over  one  side 
of  the  box.   Used  for  drugs,  toys,  dolls,  etc. 

DOUBLE  SLIDE  BOX 

This  style  of  box  is  made  much  like  the  small  slide 
box  used  by  druggists  for  pills,  powders,  etc.  When 


Double  Slide  Box. 


put  together  the  double  slide  box  has  two  thicknesses 
of  board  on  only  two  sides. 

220 


CORRUGATED  FOLDERS  AND  TUBES 


one-piece:  folder 
The  one-piece  folder  is  made  from  a  single  piece 
of  double-face  corrugated  board,  cut  and  creased  in 
such  a  manner  that  when  folded  up  it  forms  a  com- 
plete, flat  ''box/'  of  any  size  arranged  for.  These 
folders  are  delivered  in  flat  form  to  the  customer  who, 
after  packing  the  goods,  glues  and  seals  each  folder 
according  to  freight  requirements. 

TWO-PIECE  FOLDER 

The  two-piece  folder  is  made  in  many  dififerent 
sizes,  and  consists  of  two  straight-cut  sheets  of  cor- 


■  •  I  'l.  ...  Polder. 

rugated  board  which,  when  folded  together,  form  a 
closed  box  having  four  flaps  at  the  top.  The  flat 
pieces,  which  are  scored,  are  sent  to  the  customer  who 
folds  and  assembles  them  as  needed. 

CORRUGATED  PAPER  TUBES 

Corrugated  paper  tubes  are  very  simple  in  con- 
struction and  are  used  for  holding  bottles,  glass  jars, 
etc.,  protecting  them  from  breakage  during  shipment 
in  cases.  There  are  several  dififerent  styles  of  tubes 
as  follows : 

221 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


The  single-face  scored  sheet  is  merely  a  square  or 
oblong  piece  of  single-face  corrugated  board,  scored 
in  three  places  in  such  a  way  that  when  folded  and 
sealed  at  one  corner  a  plain  tube  is  formed. 

The  double-face  scored  sheet  is  made  of  double- 
face  corrugated  board,  scored  and  folded  in  the  same 
manner  as  a  single-face  scored  sheet. 

The  single-face  tube  is  the  same  as  a  single-face 
scored  sheet,  with  the  exception  of  being  folded  and 
stayed  at  one  corner  ready  for  the  customer's  use. 

The  double-face  tube  is  a  double-face  scored 
sheet,  usually  made  with  chipboard  or  strawboard 


Double-Pace  Tube. 


liners;  scored,  folded  and  joined  together,  ready  for 
the  customer's  use. 

Round  tubes,  and  those  of  odd  shape,  are  made 
in  the  same  way,  of  either  single-face  or  double-face 
corrugated  board.  The  round  tubes  require  no  scoring. 


222 


CORRUGATED  RE-SHIPPING  CASES 


All  scored  sheets  and  complete  tubes  are  delivered 
flat  to  the  customer. 

PARTITIONS 

Partitions  for  re-shipping  cases,  and  other  kinds 
of  corrugated  boxes  used  for  holding  medicine  bottles, 
etc.,  are  made  of  both  single-face  and  double-face  cor- 


rugated  board.  A  special  "gang  saw,"  for  slotting 
containers,  or  for  sawing  slots  for  partitions,  is  made 
by  Samuel  M.  Langston  Co.,  of  Camden,  N.  J.  The 
gang  saws  are  also  furnished  by  other  manufacturers 
of  paper  box  machinery. 

Cuts  of  corrugated  boxes  shown  herewith  were 
kindly  furnished  by  the  National  Association  of  Corru- 
gated Fibre  Box  Manufacturers,  Chicago. 


223 


HOW  PAPER  BOXES  ARE  MADE 


PRINTING  CARTONS 

Printing  fibre  and  corrugated  paper  boxes  is  a 
special  branch  of  the  paper  box  industry,  and  there 
are  several  printing  presses  of  diflferent  makes  de- 
signed particularly  for  this  class  of  work.  Many  large 
buyers  of  fibre  and  corrugated  paper  boxes  have  ad- 
vertising rnatter  printed  on  the  outside  of  the  boxes, 
and  in  numerous  instances,  the  printing  is  done  in  two 
or  more  dififerent  colors.  The  advantages  of  having 
advertising  matter  printed  on  the  shipping  containers 


Lang-ston  Multi-color  Printing  Press  for  Shipping  Containers. 

are  recognized  by  large  manufacturers.  For  example, 
many  of  the  corrugated  containers  used  for  holding 
tins  and  glass  jars  of  smoking  tobacco  have  attractive 
advertising  matter  printed  on  all  four  sides. 

Among  the  most  efficient  printing  presses  which 
are  now  in  general  service  for  printing  fibre  and  cor- 
rugated shipping  containers  are  the  F»  X.  Hooper 


224 


IMPRINTING  SHIPPING  CONTAINERS 


fibre  printing  press,  made  by  the  F.  X.  Hooper  Co., 
Inc.,  of  Glenarm,  Md.,  and  the  Langston  multi-color 
printing  press,  made  by  Samuel  M.  Langston  Co.,  of 
Camden,  N.  J.  Both  of  these  madhines  are  rotary 
presses  and  are  capable  of  producing  great  quantities 
of  work  at  high  speed.  The  printing  is  done  from 
electrotype  plates  which  are  attached  to  the  printing 
cylinder  of  the  press. 

Any  of  the  paper  box  machinery  concerns  men- 
tioned in  this  series  of  articles  will  send  catalogues 
and  detailed  information  covering  their  machines  upon 
request. 

(The  End) 


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